Local Tech Startup Unleashes the Power of AI on Traditional Social Savings Practice to Make Major Impact on User Lives, National Household Savings Strategy
Saudi Arabia’s Hakbah was named one of the ‘World’s Top Fintechs in 2025’ by CNBC for the company’s growth track record, increase in savings among underbanked, and social impact using AI to modernize and digitize social savings in a way that helps build, enable and empower a new fully inclusive Saudi savings culture.
The Hakbah app and digital platform was designed to make it fast, easy and safe for residents to participate in and benefit from Jameya group savings programs, a traditional and culturally important practice that helps individuals and families increase savings habits as well as answer short special needs.
Hakbah, which is permitted by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and operates within the Regulatory Sandbox, has surpassed more than 1.3 million registered users with more than 70 percent coming from a youth population that needs assistance building positive savings habits. Hakbah customers have reported using the fintech app to enable them to save for life-changing needs for themselves and their families that they previously couldn’t afford. This includes things like paying for critical medical care, fertility treatments to start a family, wedding expenses, travel expense, university tuition and small projects.
Naif AbuSaida, Hakbah Founder, said that bringing the social savings concept into the AI and digital age creates a far more practical and applicable new social savings culture while preserving the core purpose and cultural heritage of the social savings practice. He said that while supporting short financial needs, Hakbah helps build new savings habits among its users that have long-term benefit for them and their families while contributing to the financial stability of communities across the country.
Naif AbuSaida said: “We greatly appreciate that such a highly respected international business organization like CNBC is recognizing the unique model we’ve created that marries the power of social savings and the Jameya concept to make a real and lasting impact on people’s lives. What’s equally important is that this is a validation of the Saudi Arabia and SAMA strategy to promote the creation of an ecosystem across the national financial community that encourages collaboration and partnership to help increase savings across all segments of the population as a high priority strategic goal in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030.”
Hakbah has established a range of strategic partnerships under this national vision with organizations including Riyad Bank, Fransi Bank, ANB, Alrajhi Bank, flynas and Tawuniya, the country’s leading national insurance company that supports Hakbah users by providing life insurance throughout the term of their Jameya.
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