The map·UAE·Loans & guarantees

Emirates Development Bank (EDB)

Federal development bank of the UAE — AED 30 billion lending support, 13,500 companies to be supported (site).

What
Up to AED 2M per startup with no assets required, tenors up to 72 months.
Who
UAE-licensed startups and SMEs in priority sectors.
Cost
No equity — repayable finance
From abroad
Not stated on the programme’s site (checked September 2026) All programmes open to founders from abroad →
Status
Active

Checked · September 2026 · edb.gov.ae/en · How we check ↗

Apply →Website ↗On the map →

In detail

Emirates Development Bank (EDB) is a federal development bank — loans, guarantees, co-lending in the UAE. Federal development bank of the UAE — AED 30 billion lending support, 13,500 companies to be supported (site). Lends to startups without collateral — up to AED 2 million on a financial and qualitative assessment, tenors up to 72 months — and offers asset-backed financing of up to 70% of the assets. Applications run through its digital platform.

Amount
Up to AED 2M per startup without assets · tenors up to 72 months
Terms
No equity — repayable finance and guarantees
Eligibility
UAE-licensed startups and SMEs in the priority sectors; no collateral required for the startup track
Sectors
Manufacturing, Food Security, Renewables, Healthcare, Advanced Technology
Benefits
  • No collateral on the startup track
  • EDB 360 digital onboarding
  • Credit Guarantee Scheme
  • Business Lab mentoring
  • Accelerator access via MBRIF, AgriX and MIITE
Status
Active

Closing soon on the map

Cultural Development Fund (CDF)

Grant · Saudi Arabia
Up to SAR 500,000 non-repayable per project, capped at 20 projects total.
No equity — grant
29 Sep 2026closes

Finspire

Accelerator · Saudi Arabia
SAR 100,000 development funding, earmarked rather than paid as cash.
Equity via SAFE, capped at 5%
4 Oct 2026closes

QSTP Incubation

Accelerator · Qatar
In-kind support: Doha workspace and housing for a four-week Sprint, talent and investor access.
Equity — 1.5% deferred SAFE-style stake
1 Nov 2026closes

All published deadlines →

More loans & guarantees in the UAE

Khalifa Fund

Loan · UAE
Loans; amounts not published, vary by programme.
No equity — loan, repayable
—

MBRIF

Loan · UAE
Government-backed bank-loan guarantees; terms set case by case.
No equity — loan guarantee
—

Partners for Growth (PFG)

Loan · UAE
Growth debt; ticket size not published.
Loan — repayable
—

Ruya Partners

Loan · UAE
Private credit deals of $15M to $25M.
Loan — private credit, repayable
—

All loans & guarantees in the UAE →  ·  Across the Gulf →

More programmes that take no equity →

Sources

Primary source · edb.gov.ae/en · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/emirates-development-bank · Checked September 2026

Apply →