The UAE’s small businesses just got a new ally. IHC has acquired and rebranded eFunder as Zelo, giving a fresh identity to one of the country’s fastest invoice financing platforms. The mission? Plug a USD 250 billion credit gap that’s been choking SME growth across MENA.
Zelo promises fast, digital invoice funding to help SMEs unlock working capital in just 24 to 48 hours. No fluff, no long waits.
IHC Buys eFunder, Rebrands It as Zelo
The move marks a shift in the SME lending scene
- IHC is one of the region’s biggest investment firms
- It acquired eFunder, a platform focused on invoice financing for SMEs
- The rebrand to Zelo signals bigger plans for regional impact
eFunder started in 2020 under ADGM’s financial regulations, helping UAE businesses turn unpaid invoices into working capital quickly. With the new Zelo brand, IHC aims to scale this solution across key industries and accelerate growth for SMEs that often struggle with late payments.
What Zelo Actually Does
Fast cash for businesses stuck waiting on invoices
- Converts approved invoices into cash within 1–2 days
- Focuses on sectors like construction, healthcare, logistics, and oil & gas
- Helps businesses avoid 60–120 day payment delays
SMEs make up over 95% of businesses in the UAE. But even if they land major contracts, many can’t keep the lights on while waiting months to get paid. Zelo cuts through this lag with tech-powered lending, giving these companies capital when they actually need it.
Built for Speed, Backed by Data
A funding process designed for the real world
- Fully digital onboarding
- Automated funding decisions
- Scalable credit lines based on business performance
Zelo isn’t just fast — it’s smart. The platform learns from each transaction to tweak and improve the funding experience. That means no paperwork chaos, no repeated applications, just a friction-free flow of money for growing businesses.
Who’s Running Zelo?
Still the same core team behind eFunder
- CEO Dhanush Arjun and COO Deepak Sekar lead the charge
- Backed by a fintech-savvy team with deep experience
- Over 9,000 transactions and USD 200M+ funded to date
Zelo’s leadership isn’t changing. The same people who built eFunder from scratch are now scaling it with IHC’s backing. That mix of startup speed and enterprise muscle is what makes this rebrand more than just a name change.
Why This Matters
Because funding delays can kill good businesses
- MENA’s SME credit gap is nearly USD 250 billion
- Delayed payments are a growth killer
- Zelo offers one of the fastest, simplest ways to get funded
Zelo helps fix a broken system where small businesses do the work but get paid months later. For many, that lag means missed payroll, lost deals, and stalled growth. With Zelo, they can finally move at the speed of business — not bureaucracy.