- What
- Government-backed bank-loan guarantees; terms set case by case.
- Who
- Innovative companies in the UAE, or planning to establish, in priority sectors.
- Cost
- No equity — loan guarantee
- From abroad
- Open to companies from abroad — Company must be UAE-based or willing to become UAE-based; Guarantee Scheme states it allows applications from any nationality All programmes open to founders from abroad →
- Status
- Active
Checked · September 2026 · mbrif.ae · How we check ↗
In detail
MBRIF is a government loan guarantee + accelerator in the UAE. Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund — federal programme sponsored by the UAE Ministry of Finance. Provides government-backed loan guarantees via partner banks at favourable terms (case-by-case) — not outright cash grants. Accelerator track = mentorship only, no cash.
- Amount
- Government-backed bank-loan guarantees — terms case-by-case
- Terms
- No equity
- Eligibility
- Innovative companies in UAE (or planning to establish); priority sectors per UAE National Innovation Strategy
- Sectors
- Technology, Education, Health, Water, Transport, Clean Energy, Space
- Benefits
- Gov-backed guarantee to banks
- Zero interest
- Zero equity
- MoF endorsement
- Status
- Active — Guarantee Scheme and Accelerator (Cohort 13) both take applications through MBRIF’s application portal
What the source says
“All innovative companies that are UAE-based or willing to be based in the UAE and want to create businesses of the future should apply!”
mbrif.ae/faq-2 · seen September 2026
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
More loans & guarantees in the UAE
Emirates Development Bank (EDB)
Loan · UAE
Up to AED 2M per startup with no assets required, tenors up to 72 months.
No equity — repayable finance
—
Khalifa Fund
Loan · UAE
Loans; amounts not published, vary by programme.
No equity — loan, repayable
—
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
—
More programmes that take no equity →
Sources
Primary source · mbrif.ae · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/mbrif · Checked September 2026