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Prosus N.V., the internet group chaired by South African billionaire Koos Bekker, has led a $3.6 million seed round in Orbii, an embedded credit infrastructure startup helping financial institutions and B2B platforms launch small-business lending products across the Middle East and North Africa.
The round also drew backing from VentureSouq, DASH Ventures, Taz Investments and Sanabil 500. Founded in 2024, Orbii is building AI-powered tools that integrate with the systems businesses already use—such as point-of-sale and enterprise resource planning platforms—to enable real-time underwriting, disbursement and monitoring of loans.
By moving away from slow, paperwork-heavy credit assessments, Orbii’s platform allows lenders to make faster, more accurate decisions based on live payment data. The company says this approach not only raises approval rates but also helps cut defaults, giving small businesses a better chance to grow.
Addressing SME finance gaps in MENA
Small and midsize enterprises make up the backbone of MENA’s economies but remain underserved by traditional banks. Prosus Ventures, which counts AI among its priority investment areas, said Orbii is tackling one of the region’s most persistent challenges: access to finance for businesses that often struggle to secure loans.
Orbii has already partnered with Foodics, a restaurant management platform backed by Prosus Ventures, showing how portfolio companies can build on each other’s strengths. “From day one, Orbii impressed us with how quickly their solution can be implemented, the depth of expertise across the team, and the tangible results they deliver for clients,” said Robin Voogd, head of Middle East investments at Prosus Ventures.
He added that founder Nauman and his team “have built a platform that is making credit faster, smarter, and more accessible for SMEs in MENA.”
Growth plans and funding use
With the fresh capital, Orbii aims to scale toward processing $1 billion in SME loans by 2026. The company plans to expand its engineering and data science teams, build deeper integrations with banks and financial platforms, and grow its presence in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Orbii has already processed thousands of applications and supported millions of dollars in approved loans. Its clients include digital lenders, fintechs, payment processors and B2B ecosystems seeking to roll out SME credit products quickly with built-in AI infrastructure.
Prosus’ expanding AI bets
Prosus, which spun out of South Africa’s Naspers in 1997 and listed in Amsterdam in 2019, has become one of the world’s largest technology investors with holdings across fintech, e-commerce, food delivery and education. Bekker, who owns just under 1 percent of Prosus in a stake valued at over $985 million, remains closely involved in shaping its strategy.
Earlier this month, Prosus led a $12.5 million Series A round in Intella, an Arabic-first AI tools provider for enterprises across MENA. In August, it was reported to be in talks for a $200 million investment in Indian ride-hailing firm Rapido. And in July, Prosus joined a $3.6 million seed round in Brazil’s Ursula, a startup developing AI-driven digital characters.
