GCC's $250 Billion SME Financing Gap Targeted by $100 Million Tokenized Private Credit Fund

Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited is a tokenized private credit fund sponsored by Zamanat that aims to address the estimated $250 billion SME financing gap in the GCC. The fund, which has a target size of up to $100 million, will invest in private credit across the region and support national ambitions to expand SME participation and access to alternative financing.

The fund combines a regional private credit strategy with a DIFC fund structure, institutional administration, and digital issuance on ZIGChain. It provides a first live demonstration of how regional private credit can be brought into a DFSA-regulated tokenized structure for Professional Clients.

Zamanat's founder and CEO, Umair Tariq, said that the fund is designed to create a credible route between strong businesses in the GCC and institutional capital. 'With a target size of up to $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,' he stated.

The global market for Digital Shariah Assets does not yet exist as an institutional category, but Zamanat is building it. The company connects asset originators with global capital through investment structuring, Shariah expertise, regulated partner routes, tokenization, and distribution across traditional and digital channels.