UAE-Based InvestSky Expands to Saudi Arabia Following $4 Million Seed Round

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UAE's InvestSky retail platform targets Saudi investors after $4M raise.

InvestSky has secured $4 million in seed funding and a Fintech Experimental Permit from Saudi Arabia's Capital Market Authority.
The Dubai-regulated platform will offer social trading services in Saudi Arabia through a partnership with anb Capital.
Saudi and UAE investors can now access US and Saudi-listed equities through a single mobile-first interface.
The seed round was backed by Emkan Capital, Run Ventures, S3 Ventures, and the Al-Romaizan Family Office.
InvestSky's total funding now stands at approximately $7.4 million following earlier capital raised for its UAE launch.
The partnership represents a first-of-its-kind model for integrating social investing features into Saudi Arabia's regulated capital markets.

Cross-Border Retail Investment Expansion Under Dual Regulatory Framework

UAE-based fintech InvestSky has extended its social trading platform into Saudi Arabia after closing a $4 million seed funding round and obtaining regulatory approval from the Capital Market Authority (CMA). The expansion is underpinned by a strategic partnership with anb Capital, a Riyadh-based investment firm that provides the regulated brokerage and custody infrastructure necessary to support InvestSky's operations in the Kingdom. This move positions InvestSky as one of the first platforms to offer fully regulated social trading services across both UAE and Saudi markets.

The company operates under a dual-licensing structure that combines oversight from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in the UAE and the CMA's Fintech Experimental Permit regime in Saudi Arabia. This framework allows InvestSky to offer retail investors seamless access to Saudi-listed shares and US equities through a single mobile application, while maintaining compliance with investor protection standards in both jurisdictions. The platform's social-first approach targets digitally native investors who have been historically underserved by traditional brokerage models.

Funding Round and Investor Profile

The $4 million seed round was led by Saudi venture capital firm Emkan Capital, with participation from German and Ireland-linked fintech accelerator Run Ventures, US-based S3 Ventures by Joa Capital, and the Saudi Al-Romaizan Family Office. Regional investors also contributed to the round, although their identities have not been disclosed publicly. The new capital brings InvestSky's total funding to approximately $7.4 million, combining earlier proceeds raised for its initial UAE launch.

Founded in 2021 by co-founders Nitish Mittal and Turki Alalshaikh, InvestSky has evolved from a UAE-focused startup into a cross-border platform regulated in both Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The fresh capital will be deployed to scale operations in the Saudi market, enhance product capabilities, and expand educational tools designed to simplify investing for first-time users. The company plans to upgrade social features and integrate additional risk management and portfolio performance tools.

Regulatory Structure and Sandbox Framework

InvestSky's Saudi operations are conducted under a Fintech Experimental Permit issued by the CMA. This sandbox-style framework enables innovative financial services such as social trading and robo-advisory to be tested within controlled parameters, including limits on customer types, transaction volumes, and product scope. The CMA monitors risks, investor outcomes, and systemic impact throughout the experimental period.

The partnership with anb Capital is central to this regulatory setup. Anb Capital holds the underlying local investment firm licence and provides the compliance, risk management, and operational infrastructure required under CMA rules. Saudi clients are therefore serviced within a regulated environment that aligns with CMA standards on investor protection, suitability, disclosures, and market conduct. According to co-founder Turki Alalshaikh, the CMA permit and partnership represent a pioneering model that could serve as a blueprint for future fintech collaborations in the region.

Platform Features and Market Positioning

InvestSky positions itself as a social-first retail investing application that enables individuals to trade Saudi and US equities with real-time community features. Users can access both Saudi-listed shares and US stocks through a single interface, while interacting with other investors, viewing community sentiment, and following portfolios and discussions directly in the app. The platform's stated mission is to make investing accessible, affordable, and social for the region's growing base of young, digitally native investors.

Marketing materials targeting Saudi users promote the ability to invest in US stocks from the Middle East through a streamlined onboarding process, community features, and transparent pricing models. With the CMA permit and anb Capital partnership now in place, this cross-border access is integrated into a fully regulated Saudi setup that covers both US and Saudi equities. The platform initially focused on enabling Middle East-based users to invest in US stocks, but has now expanded to include local Saudi market access.

Strategic Implications for GCC Fintech Expansion

The InvestSky-anb Capital collaboration illustrates how UAE-origin fintechs can leverage home licences and technology to enter neighbouring Gulf markets through locally regulated partners. For UAE-based retail platform providers, the case highlights a potential model for cross-GCC expansion by securing experimental or full licences from host-country regulators, collaborating with locally licensed investment firms for execution and compliance, and offering cross-border access under a user-friendly interface.

Sector commentary positions InvestSky's funding and Saudi launch within a broader uptick in MENA fintech activity and government-backed initiatives to build regional investment hubs. Analysts argue that social trading remains underpenetrated in MENA relative to Europe and the US, and that Saudi Arabia's regulatory openness to sandboxed experimentation could accelerate adoption. The Kingdom's young population, high smartphone penetration, and increasing appetite for equity investing align well with InvestSky's mobile-first approach.