Alaan launches UAE's first AI-native business bank account, powered by ruya

Alaan, the UAE's leading spend management platform, today launched a business bank account with built-in intelligence, powered by ruya. With this launch, Alaan becomes the first fintech in the region to combine corporate cards, domestic and cross-border supplier payments, invoice automation, and accounting into a single AI-native platform.

A major step in the company’s vision to build the financial operating system of every modern business in the region, this announcement comes a month after the fintech committed AED 3 million to support UAE businesses by paying their utility and telco bills.

Powered by ruya’s Banking-as-a-Service infrastructure, the account gives UAE businesses access to seamless, Shariah-compliant digital banking capabilities embedded directly into Alaan’s spend management platform.

What the account does differently

SuperPay for every kind of payment. Pay a supplier in Dubai or a contractor in London from the same dashboard. Local UAE transfers and cross-border payments to 40+ countries. Cross-border payments have no transfer fees.

One intake, zero re-keying. Alaan Intelligence reads invoices the moment they arrive by email or upload. Vendor, VAT, due date, and line items are extracted automatically, and duplicate invoices flagged before they get paid twice.

Approvals and accounting, built in. Bills auto-route to the right approver with a full audit trail. Payments sync directly to Odoo, Zoho, Xero, QuickBooks, and all major accounting platforms.

Inbound payments, too. Businesses can receive customer payments into the same account that runs their outbound workflows.

Unlimited users. Unlimited cashback. Every team member can be on the same account, with unlimited local and international cashback on every AED spent on corporate cards.

Digital banking, powered by ruya. Through ruya’s Banking-as-a-Service infrastructure, businesses can access Shariah-compliant account services, inbound and outbound payments, and banking capabilities directly within Alaan’s platform, creating a seamless and effortless financial experience.

"For decades, UAE finance teams have dealt with manual processes for payments," said Parthi Duraisamy, Co-founder and CEO of Alaan. "With this launch, a supplier invoice that used to take hours to process now runs end to end in a few minutes. UAE companies deserve a platform that automates manual tasks and puts their growth first”.

The launch comes as business banking in the UAE enters its biggest shift in a generation. The country added 250,000 new companies in 2025 alone, bringing the total number of businesses in the Middle East to over 1.4 million, many of them moving from traditional banks to AI-first platforms.

Since launching in 2022, Alaan has become one of the region's strongest fintechs, recently closing a $48 million Series A led by Peak XV Partners. The company is trusted by 3,000+ finance teams at organizations including G42, Careem, Tabby, McDonald’s, and Al Barari.

“This partnership speaks directly to one of ruya’s core pillars: supporting and empowering businesses with banking that is simple, ethical, and built around their needs,” said Christoph Koster, CEO of ruya. “By working with Alaan, we are enabling UAE companies to access seamless, Shariah-compliant digital banking within the tools they already use every day. It is a strong example of how embedded finance can remove friction, unlock efficiency, and help businesses focus on growth.

Learn more about the AI-native business account here:

alaan.com/business-banking

Disclaimer: The Alaan Business Account is issued by Ruya Community Islamic Bank, which is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011.

About Alaan

Alaan is the largest and most comprehensive spend management platform in the Middle East. Alaan cards are utilized by over 3000 mid-market and enterprise customers who collectively employ more than 200,000 people, across various sectors such as Real Estate, Aviation, Logistics, and Retail. With its proprietary AI-powered corporate cards, Alaan has saved millions for businesses and has supercharged finance teams that are looking for a technological edge in saving time and money for their organizations. Alaan launched in 2022 in the UAE and is backed by Y Combinator and has been ranked as the No.1 expense management platform by G2 across the Middle East and Africa.

 About ruya

Headquartered in Ajman and launched in 2024, ruya (Ruya Islamic Community Bank LLC) is a fusion of innovative technology and the enduring principles of Islamic banking, designed for individuals and businesses alike. Licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE as a Specialised Bank, ruya delivers a seamless digital banking experience built on robust security and intuitive design. Guided by the pillars of fairness, transparency, and social responsibility, ruya is deeply rooted in the community, supporting families, entrepreneurs, and small businesses while fostering financial literacy and inclusion through open-door branches that serve as hubs of education and support