Cairo / Muscat, 9 September 2026: Cassbana has received in-principle approval from the Central Bank of Oman to join its Fintech Regulatory Sandbox, giving the fintech platform a second regulatory foothold in the region as it prepares to expand across the Gulf.
The approval will allow Cassbana to test its data-driven underwriting, embedded-finance and risk-management infrastructure under the central bank’s supervision, with a focus on improving access to working capital for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Oman milestone follows earlier in-principle approval from Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority to participate in its Regulatory Sandbox, giving the company regulatory pathways in two MENA markets.
Cassbana is positioning itself as a regional infrastructure provider for MSME credit, targeting a segment that continues to face financing constraints despite growing demand for working capital and trade finance.
Haitham Nassar, Founder and CEO of Cassbana, said: “The MSME financing gap across MENA is not simply a shortage of capital. The challenge is building the infrastructure that enables responsible access to finance efficiently and at scale.”
He said the Oman approval, combined with Cassbana’s progress in Egypt, supports the company’s plan to build a scalable credit-infrastructure model that can operate across multiple regulatory environments.
Oman is expected to serve as a base for the company’s broader GCC expansion. Through the sandbox, Cassbana will test its technology, underwriting, servicing and risk-management capabilities in the local market before pursuing wider deployment.
The company is also advancing plans for Saudi Arabia, where it has established a local presence and is developing its market and regulatory strategy.
Cassbana said its next phase will focus on progressing through the Oman sandbox, expanding partnerships and strengthening its operating model across existing markets.
The company is also preparing for its next institutional funding round to support its GCC expansion and broader regional scale-up.
