Zamanat has announced the sponsorship of Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited, a DIFC-domiciled tokenized private credit fund with a target size of up to USD 100 million. The fund is intended as the company's first live proof point for regulated fund tokenization on ZIGChain, focused on private credit across the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The initiative targets an estimated $250 billion SME financing gap in the GCC, where only 11 percent of small and medium enterprises have access to credit. In the UAE, SMEs generate more than half of GDP and employ most of the private-sector workforce, yet receive less than 10 percent of total bank lending. The strategy aligns with national programs including Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the UAE Centennial 2071.
Fund interests will be issued as ZM1 Investment Tokens on ZIGChain within a regulated, whitelisted environment. The fund is registered with the Dubai Financial Services Authority as an Exempt Fund and classified as a Credit Fund. It is managed by Truleum Venture Partners Limited and administered by Apex Group, and participation is restricted to investors meeting DFSA Professional Client criteria.
Umair Tariq, Founder and CEO of Zamanat, said: 'Strong businesses across the GCC still struggle to access growth capital despite sound fundamentals. Zamanat sponsored the Fund to create a credible route between those businesses and institutional capital. With a target size of up to USD 100 million and interests issued as Investment Tokens, it is our first live proof point for bringing GCC private credit into a regulated digital structure for Professional Clients.'
Zamanat, backed by Disrupt.com, is building a global market for Digital Shariah Assets. The release cites projections that global Islamic finance assets will reach $9.7 trillion by 2029, though it clarifies that the Fund itself is not an Islamic Fund and references to Shariah relate to Zamanat's broader platform. Peter Hughes, Founder and CEO of Apex Group, said the model 'sets the standard' for institutional digital asset infrastructure.
This announcement was issued as a sponsored press release and is intended for informational purposes only.
