Dubai - Sharikat Mubasher: Lean Technologies, a leading financial infrastructure provider in the MENA region, and Ziina, the UAE-based consumer and business payments platform, launched the country’s first live customer-initiated Open Finance payment experience under the Central Bank of the UAE’s (CBUAE) Open Finance framework.
With this launch, Ziina becomes the first entity in the UAE to execute live Open Finance payments initiated by customers, the company announced in a statement today.
Users of the Ziina application can now complete instant, account-to-account bank payments through regulated Open Finance APIs that connect directly to their bank accounts, offering them a faster, more transparent, and secure way to move money without switching channels or relying on manual transfers.
Through this partnership, Lean provides the regulated Open Finance infrastructure underpinning the experience, including secure connectivity, compliant payment initiation, and enterprise-grade resilience.
Commenting on this milestone, Faisal Toukan, Co-founder and CEO of Ziina, said: “Delivering the UAE’s first customer-initiated Open Finance payment marks an important step for the country’s financial ecosystem. Regulated, API-driven payments, now operating at production scale, are beginning to influence expectations around speed, transparency, and trust. Enabling customers to complete a bank payment directly inside the Ziina app through Open Finance reflects how forward-thinking policy can shape everyday financial behavior. We are proud to partner with Lean Technologies to bring the vision to life.”
In turn, Hisham Al-Falih, CEO of Lean Technologies, stated: “This milestone reflects the Central Bank’s vision for modern, secure financial infrastructure and shows what becomes possible when strong connectivity meets thoughtful product execution. Ziina has been an exceptional partner, and we are proud to enable the country’s first live Open Finance payment experience.”
By introducing the first customer-initiated Open Finance payment in the UAE, Ziina demonstrates how regulated connectivity can translate into simple, reliable interactions that meet users’ expectations in a rapidly digitizing economy.