Loan Guarantee Programme (Kafalah) and Funding Gate: bank finance for businesses

Where is Kafalah now?

Links to the old Kafalah website now redirect to the “Loan Guarantee Programme” page of the SME Bank (we observed this on 4 November 2026). The bank describes it as a model that provides guarantees in partnership with funders to expand financing for micro, small and medium enterprises ^[1].

The bank states that guarantees have exceeded SAR 100 billion for more than 28,000 businesses ^[2].

Programme products

• Non-profit sector and endowments (awqaf) product.
• Export sectors product (export and import).
• Entertainment sector product.
• Cultural sector product.
• Local consulting sector product.
• Standard product for all other sectors.

Guarantee percentages, limits and fees are not shown on the page, so confirm them with the funder ^[1].

How does financing with a programme guarantee work?

• You apply for financing to a bank or finance company, directly or through Funding Gate.
• The funder assesses your application, and the programme covers part of its risk.
• The funder decides on approval and the profit margin.

Funding Gate

A free SME Bank service: you sign in with Nafath (National Single Sign-On), select your CR, fill in the application details, and it is sent to funders so you can choose from their offers ^[3].

Requirements: a valid Commercial Registration (CR) and a Monsha'at certificate. Documents: the CR, the authorised representative's ID, and any additional documents the funders request ^[4].

Other SME Bank programmes

The bank works through its partners: co-financing with banks, providing liquidity to finance companies, and an agency model through crowdfunding platforms ^[5].

Frequently asked questions