News
Lendo Surpasses SAR 1 Billion Milestone, Revolutionizing Saudi SME Financing
Saudi Arabia fintech startup Lendo has crossed a significant milestone, facilitating more than 1 billion SAR in financing through over 2,500 transactions, all directed towards supporting Saudi Arabia’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). (press release)
Lendo is a Riyadh-based Shariah-compliant, Debt crowdfunding platform regulated by the Saudi Central Bank that helps pre-finance outstanding invoices for businesses in Saudi Arabia.
Since its inception, Saudi fintech Lendo has processed more than 2000 financing transactions on its platform since launch, providing SAR 1+ billion (USD 300 million) in financing to SMEs and generating SAR 140 million (USD 37 million) returns for investors.
Bringing together a community of creditworthy borrowers looking for short-term financing and savvy investors looking for alternative investments at high returns, Lendo’s products and solutions are designed to make business financing easier, faster, and smarter for investors and borrowers alike.
Operating under the regulatory framework of the Saudi Central Bank, Lendo operates as a Shariah-compliant debt crowdfunding platform, specializing in the pre-financing of outstanding invoices for local businesses.
Lendo has successfully curated a community of creditworthy borrowers in search of short-term financing, while simultaneously attracting savvy investors seeking high-yield alternative opportunities.
In an era where financial innovation is reshaping traditional norms, Lendo’s suite of products and solutions reflects a commitment to streamlining, expediting, and enhancing the world of business financing, offering advantages to investors and borrowers alike.
Empowering SMEs and Boosting GDP
Lendo’s financing has conservatively saved and created estimated hundreds of jobs within SMEs, providing essential stability in the job market. a testament to the platform’s profound economic influence.
Moreover, SMEs supported by Lendo experienced an impressive estimated 20% growth, underscoring the platform’s role in fostering entrepreneurship and business expansion. aligned with Vision 2030 goal of increasing 35% SME contributing to GDP.
The impact on the GDP is significant. Thriving SMEs contribute substantially to the GDP, generating revenue, increasing consumption, and amplifying economic activities. Lendo’s pivotal role in this process positions Saudi Arabia as an economic powerhouse, showcasing the potential of the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial spirit.
In essence, Lendo’s influence extends beyond financial transactions; it is a quantifiable catalyst for economic empowerment, conservatively saving jobs, boosting GDP, and nurturing the growth of Saudi SMEs.
Revolutionizing Business Financing
Lendo’s approach is revolutionizing the way businesses secure financing. By addressing the specific needs of SMEs, Lendo provides a lifeline to businesses grappling with cash flow issues.
The platform’s innovative debt crowdfunding model allows businesses to pre-finance their outstanding invoices, ensuring a steady influx of capital. This infusion of funds enables these businesses to meet operational expenses, invest in growth opportunities, and navigate the challenges posed by market dynamics.
Community-Driven Financial Solutions
At the heart of Lendo’s success is its community-driven ethos. The platform acts as a bridge between credible borrowers and investors seeking meaningful investment opportunities.
For borrowers, Lendo offers a hassle-free application process, swift approval timelines, and competitive financing terms. Investors, on the other hand, find a plethora of vetted opportunities, ensuring their investments yield substantial returns.
This symbiotic relationship fosters a sense of financial empowerment, enabling businesses to thrive and investors to grow their portfolios.
Investment Culture Shift
Lendo has played a significant role in reshaping perceptions of financial inclusion in Saudi Arabia, with over 1 billion SAR invested by individuals in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
This substantial investment amount signifies a noticeable shift in individual investment strategies, highlighting their growing interest in active participation in the financial ecosystem.
Lendo has also taken proactive steps to combat financial illiteracy by focusing on educating the community about the crucial role of investment in achieving financial stability and fostering growth.
These initiatives have encouraged greater participation from women, with women now constituting 12% of Lendo’s total investors and showing a growing presence.
Regulated and Shariah-Compliant
Lendo’s credibility is underpinned by its adherence to regulatory guidelines set forth by the Saudi Central Bank. Operating in a Shariah-compliant manner, Lendo ensures that its financing solutions align with ethical and Islamic principles. This commitment to regulatory compliance and ethical practices instills confidence in both borrowers and investors, fostering a secure and transparent financial ecosystem.
As Lendo surpasses the SAR +1 billion financing mark, it signifies more than just a numerical achievement. It represents the trust bestowed upon the platform by SMEs and investors alike.
Looking ahead, Lendo remains committed to furthering its mission of simplifying business financing. By continuously refining its offerings, embracing technological advancements, and expanding its reach, Lendo aims to empower even more SMEs in Saudi Arabia, driving economic growth and prosperity.
In a financial landscape where agility and innovation are paramount, Lendo stands as a beacon of progress. With each financing transaction, the platform reaffirms its commitment to transforming the SME sector and shaping a robust future for Saudi businesses.
Lendo has recently raised a Series B funding round, securing $28 million, led by Sanabil Investments, a PIF-owned company.
News
Amr Diab Gets Hacked on Twitter
Amr Diab’s Facebook page has announced that his twitter account has been hijacked by anonymous and now tweeting political.
Update: Amr Diab’s Facebook Page announced that “Amr Diab’s Twitter account has been restored successfully and you can follow Amr’s tweets normally now”
Amr Diab got hacked on Twitter
On Thursday 9th of Jan, Amr Diab’s Facebook page announced that Amr Diab’s Twitter account has been hacked by anonymous and now tweeting politics!
Amr Abdul-Basset Abdul-Azeez Diab (born 11 October 1961) is an Egyptian singer and composer of pop music. He was awarded the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle East Artist, three times: 1998 for the album “Nour El Ain”, 2002 for the album “Aktrr Wahid Byhbak 2001” and 2007 for the album “El Lillady”. Amr Diab also won The African Music Awards 2009, Big Apple Music Awards; Life Achievements Awards: Best Singer of The Year in 2009, and Best Male Act in African Music Awards 2010.
He is known as the Father of Mediterranean Music He has created his own style which is often termed “Mediterranean Music” or “Mediterranean Sound”, a blend of Western and Egyptian rhythms.
In The Mediterranean in Music, David Cooper and Kevin Dawe referred to his music as “the new breed of Mediterranean music”.According to author Michael Frishkopf, Amr Diab has produced a new concept of Mediterranean music, especially in his international hit, “Nour El Ain”.
In his analysis of The Very Best of Amr Diab album, Victor W. Valdivia of All music said: “His music melded traditional Arabic sounds and textures with Western rhythms and instruments. The mesh was dubbed Mediterranean music, and The Very Best of Amr Diab displays Diab’s superb skill in creating it.”
In 1997, he won three awards at the Annual Arabic Festival: one for Best Video, for Best Song, and for Best Artist of the Year. Diab received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of Nour El Ain and a World Music Award in Monaco.
After the success of the previously shared overall analysis of Sherine’s new album “Ana Keter” and her social media presence, we decided to fulfill your requests with more details and additional insights.
The report is from Jan 15 through Jan 31, 2014; however, starting Feb, we noticed that Sherine’s team has enhanced and developed how they engage with fans on Facebook.
Still, there’s more to do; please review the slides below to know what exactly they are missing with recommendations.
Check out the report:
Key take-outs in 15 days after the launch:
- Album gained 11 million views in 2 weeks on YouTube
- YouTube Channel subscribers boosted by 90K subscribers in 15 days out of 127K total subscribers overtime
- Buzz reached 15K tweets/RTs since the launch on Twitter
- How do people talk about the album/Sherine on Twitter?
- People are sharing songs from YouTube & SoundCloud
- +90% positive sentiment on Twitter
- Sherine’s Twitter account is excellent at spreading the news about the album’s success.
- People are tweeting the song’s lyrics.
- Sarcastic tweets about Sherine & few songs (regular) - Almost zero negativity about the album
- Album teasers on Facebook created credibility for Sherine’s page, reflected in the page results after the album’s launch in the next 15 days with 92K Interactions & 312K New Likes.
- The album received tremendous engagement on the launching date of Jan 15. However, no posts for four days after the launch negatively affected the interactions.
Recommendations:
Sherine Abdel Wahab’s Facebook page would have received double or maybe triple new likes and interactions if the improved posts’ quality; please find below the points taken:
- Long updates with no extra value-added will lead to losing your fans’ interest
- The text-only format isn’t preferred, as it is well-known that they generate less reach than other content (Facebook announcement)
- A call to action is essential to generate leads & increase engagement
- Each post has to have its visual, audio, or video so you can attract/engage your audiences
- Understand the situation and act upon it, always be relevant to the time and avoid posting irrelevant content at the wrong time.
- Revise the tone of voice in future activities.
To recap - Overall performance is average to good - Enhance your content formatting - Improve the tone of voice on all networks - Be creative to engage your fans better - Be Consistent - Start your SoundCloud account.
News
Putin, Obama war on social media starts with unfriend on Facebook
New stage of the cold war, is it?
The Social media war between Putin and Obama started with UnFriend, this is the action taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Facebook diplomacy with American president Barack Obama.
The unfriending comes after an official White House update about the possibility of a US-Syrian war. President Putin revealed that Obama’s updates about the Congressional debate on a possible war with Syria have annoyed him.
After unfriending, President Putin update status on profile “Something I should have done a long time ago”
Also, He said to Russia’s Pravda News Service “President Assad and I, we are the Facebook friends. We like the same pages, we share pictures of cute women and all that. Obama needs to lighten up on there, it’s not for serious stuff,”
President Obama’s latest posts about the possibility of the war in Syria have been reported by someone and he received a warning from Facebook that he will be prevented from posting on his profile for 24 hours.
He has also commented “Really, Putin needs to grow up. If he didn’t like that [post], he could have just hid it from his news feed instead of creating all this Facebook drama,”
JOE BIDEN “Vice President of the United States” announced to reports that President Obama has signed into his Twitter account to unfollow Putin.
The turmoil generated between Putin and Obama over their dispute on the Syrian crisis. Expanded to reach the social networks
Putin and Obama on social Networks
The question now is, are we witnessing a new stage of the cold war between the two countries, will they continue the war online instead of the military tactics and old spy war?
It’s obvious that social media is really changing the game in everything, and now it’s taking over on a very high level.
Keep an eye on Digital Boom and we will keep you posted with more news and updates on the cold war and even more…
-
Startups9 years ago3 Creative Egyptian Women Who Master E-commerce
-
News10 years ago11 Talented Egyptian Photographers on Instagram
-
Campaigns8 years agoVodafone Egypt Brings Generations Together, Unlocks 4G Power
-
Marketing9 years agoWhich categories will suffer most from increased prices in Egypt?
-
Apps8 years agoRadio Garden Live Map of The Globe’s Radio Stations
-
News8 years agoTop 10 Egyptian Fashionistas to Follow on Instagram
-
Campaigns8 years ago7 Big Stats That Show Which Ramadan Advertisements Resonated Most
-
Opinion9 years agoF*** Being a Founder, Be a Follower