Dubai, UAE, September 10, 2026 — Chainwire

Zamanat has announced the sponsorship of Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited, a DIFC-domiciled tokenized private credit fund with a target size of up to USD 100 million. The fund is the company’s first live proof point for regulated fund tokenization on ZIGChain, focused on private credit in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The fund targets the GCC’s estimated $250 billion small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financing gap. According to the World Bank, only 11 percent of SMEs across the region have access to credit.

Addressing the GCC’s SME credit gap

SMEs are central to economic growth across the GCC but remain significantly underserved by traditional financing. In the UAE, SMEs generate more than half of gross domestic product and employ the majority of the private-sector workforce, while receiving less than 10 percent of total bank lending.

Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited will invest in private credit across the region, directing capital toward homegrown companies whose financing needs are not fully met through traditional lending channels. The strategy supports national ambitions to expand SME participation, private-sector growth and access to alternative financing, including priorities under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE Centennial 2071.

“Strong businesses across the GCC still struggle to access growth capital despite sound fundamentals. Zamanat sponsored the Fund to create a credible route between those businesses and institutional capital. With a target size of up to USD 100 million and interests issued as Investment Tokens, it is our first live proof point for bringing GCC private credit into a regulated digital structure for Professional Clients,” said Umair Tariq, Founder and CEO of Zamanat.

Tokenized structure for private credit

Tokenization expands the infrastructure around traditionally hard-to-access private-market assets without changing the underlying investment or credit profile. The fund combines a regional private credit strategy, a DIFC fund structure, institutional administration and digital issuance on ZIGChain.

The fund is a Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)-regulated closed-ended fund registered as an Exempt Fund and classified as a Credit Fund. It is managed by Truleum Venture Partners Limited and administered by Apex Group.

Fund interests will be issued as ZM1 Investment Tokens on ZIGChain within a regulated, whitelisted environment. The structure provides a blockchain-native ownership and settlement layer within the fund’s regulated framework and allows qualifying investors who meet the DFSA Professional Client criteria to participate alongside institutional investors.

As sponsor, Zamanat is contributing its regional private credit, investment structuring and institutional partnership expertise to the fund’s development. Truleum retains responsibility for all regulated fund-management activities.

Zamanat is backed by Disrupt.com, a MENA-based, operator-led, AI-native venture builder and lead investor in the business.

Digital Shariah Assets platform

Global Islamic finance assets are projected to reach $9.7 trillion by 2029, according to the LSEG and ICD 2025 Islamic Finance Development Indicator Report, published on October 14, 2025. Zamanat said demand for digital and Shariah-aligned assets is growing faster than the institutional infrastructure connecting those assets with global capital.

The company said it is building a global market for Digital Shariah Assets. Its broader operating model combines investment structuring, Shariah expertise, regulated partner routes and digital distribution to bring real-world assets to market through traditional and digital channels.

The DIFC-domiciled fund demonstrates the regulated fund-tokenization, digital-ownership and partner-orchestration capabilities within that broader effort. Zamanat is also progressing a separate pipeline of Digital Shariah Assets across private credit, receivables, real estate and other asset classes.

Apex Group is serving as fund administrator, providing institutional fund administration and controls from the outset.

“Zamanat is supporting the creation of a new category in Digital Assets. Bringing institutional structure and digital distribution together within a DFSA-regulated framework sets the standard for how this market should be built, and this fund shows the model working at institutional scale. We are proud to support the infrastructure behind it, and we look forward to partnering further on the projects Zamanat already has in motion,” said Peter Hughes, Founder & CEO of Apex Group.

The global market for Digital Shariah Assets does not yet exist as an institutional category, according to Zamanat, which said it is building that market.

Investor notice

This communication concerning Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited is approved by Truleum Venture Partners Limited in the DIFC, which holds DFSA License Number F008013.

The release is for information only. It is not an offer, invitation or recommendation to subscribe for interests in Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited or acquire ZM1 Investment Tokens. Any participation will take place only through the Fund Manager, final offering documents and applicable Professional Client eligibility requirements.

The communication is intended for and directed only to investors who meet the requirements to be considered Professional Clients under the Dubai Financial Services Authority Conduct of Business Rulebook, Rule 2.3.3. The fund is an “Exempt Fund,” and the ZM1 Investment Tokens are available only to Professional Clients.

The release and the information it contains do not constitute, and are not intended to constitute, a public offer of securities in any other jurisdiction and should not be construed as such. The ZM1 Investment Tokens are available only to a limited number of investors from the DIFC. They have not been approved, licensed or registered with any other relevant licensing authority or governmental agency. No transaction will be concluded in onshore UAE outside the DIFC.

The fund is not an Islamic Fund and is not marketed as Shariah-compliant. References to Shariah in the release relate to Zamanat’s broader platform and market ambition, not to the fund.

About Zamanat

Zamanat connects asset originators with global capital through investment structuring, Shariah expertise, regulated partner routes, tokenization and distribution across traditional and digital channels. The company also sponsors and develops institutional investment products through appropriately licensed partners.

Each product follows its own legal and regulatory framework and, where presented as Shariah-aligned, its own product-specific Shariah review and governance process. The company’s website is www.zamanathq.com.

Global Head of PR & Communications: Katarzyna Kosior, disrupt.com, info@zamanathq.com

Source: Metaverse Post