- What
- Interest-free loans up to AED 400,000; bank Murabaha financing up to AED 2M.
- Who
- Emirati entrepreneurs with projects in the emirate of Sharjah.
Checked · October 2026 · ruwad.ae/ar · How we check ↗
See Ruwad — Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering Entrepreneurs on the map next to the other 96 programmes in the UAE — and filter the whole Gulf by type, deadline and equity.
Open the map →In detail
Ruwad — Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering Entrepreneurs is an interest-free loans and bank murabaha financing in the UAE. Sharjah foundation, established in 2005, that finances small and medium projects of Emirati entrepreneurs in the emirate of Sharjah: direct interest-free financing of up to AED 400,000, and indirect Murabaha financing through banks of up to AED 2 million. It takes no share of the projects' profits; member projects are exempt from a list of transaction fees.
- Amount
- Direct: up to AED 400,000 interest-free · via banks: up to AED 2M Murabaha
- Terms
- No equity — takes no share of profits
- Eligibility
- Emirati citizens; projects located in the emirate of Sharjah
- Benefits
- Fee exemptions for member projects
- Status
- Active — 65 projects funded according to its own counter (checked October 2026)
What the source says
“يقدم دعمًا ماليًا لرواد الأعمال والمشاريع الصغيرة والمتوسطة، بهدف تعزيز الابتكار والنمو الاقتصادي”
“التمويل المباشر من "روّاد": حتى 400 ألف درهم بدون فوائد التمويل غير المباشر عبر المصارف: حتى 2 مليون درهم بنظام المرابحة”
“التمويل المباشر من "روّاد": حتى 400 ألف درهم بدون فوائد”
“"روّاد" تهدف لدعم رواد الأعمال المواطنين ومساعدتهم في تأسيس مشاريعهم الخاصة، ولا تحصل على أية نسب من أرباح هذه المشاريع.”
“لا يشمل نطاق الدعم المشاريع المقامة خارج مدن إمارة الشارقة.”
“تعفى المشاريع الأعضاء من رسوم المعاملات التالية”
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Compare loans & guarantees in the UAE
| Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruwad — Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering EntrepreneursInterest-free loans up to AED 400,000; bank Murabaha financing up to AED 2M. | up to AED 2M | No equity | Active |
| Amplify Growth FundGrowth loans from $3M (average $10M) over 3–4 years, with a warrant component. | $10M | Loan with warrants | Active |
| Emirates Development Bank (EDB)Up to AED 2M per startup with no assets required, tenors up to 72 months. | not published | No equity | Active |
| Khalifa FundLoans; amounts not published, vary by programme. | not published | No equity | Active |
| MBRIFGovernment-backed bank-loan guarantees. | not published | No equity | Active |
| Mohammed Bin Rashid Fund for SME (The Fund)Interest-free loans up to AED 1M; bank-guaranteed loans above AED 1M up to AED 3M. | up to AED 3M | No equity | Open |
| Stride VenturesVenture debt averaging $4M, repayable over 6 to 18 months. | $4M | Loan | Active |
| Partners for Growth (PFG)Growth debt; ticket size not published. | not published | Loan | Active |
| Ruya PartnersPrivate credit deals of $15M to $25M. | $15M to $25M | Loan | Active |
| Tenami CapitalRevenue-based growth capital for founder-led tech companies, from DIFC Dubai. | not published | Capped return, bought back from revenue | Active |
Highest amount in each programme’s own “What” line. Other currencies converted for sorting only (Gulf pegs; KWD, EUR, GBP approximate).
More programmes that take no equity →
Questions founders ask
What does Ruwad — Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering Entrepreneurs offer?
Interest-free loans up to AED 400,000; bank Murabaha financing up to AED 2M.
Does Ruwad — Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering Entrepreneurs take equity?
No equity — interest-free loan.
How do I apply?
No application form is published. Its website is the way in.
Sources
Primary source · ruwad.ae/ar · Checked October 2026