Pakistani neobank and SME lender ABHI has teamed up with Federal Exchange, a UAE-based currency exchange and remittance provider, to offer faster digital cross-border payments services to individuals and businesses across the region.
The partnership connects ABHI’s fintech infrastructure directly with Federal Exchange’s established remittance network, aiming to give customers a smoother path between traditional money transfer services and digital finance. Under the arrangement, users will be able to move money across borders in real time, with the transaction experience handled through ABHI’s platform rather than a conventional exchange counter.
“This partnership with Federal Exchange marks an important milestone in our mission to create a more financially inclusive and empowered UAE,” said Omair Ansari, Co-Founder & CEO of ABHI. “At ABHI, we believe that access to financial services should be seamless and within everyone’s reach. By combining innovation with trusted financial infrastructure, we are enabling individuals and businesses to manage, move, and grow their money effortlessly.”
Federal Exchange’s leadership framed the deal in similar terms.
“Partnering with ABHI represents a natural alignment of our shared values, trust, innovation, and financial empowerment. Together, we are creating a seamless bridge between traditional remittance services and the future of digital finance, ensuring that our customers experience faster, safer, and more convenient ways to move money across borders,” said Romish, Assistant General Manager at Federal Exchange.
The timing is notable. The UAE ranks as the second-largest hub for outbound remittances globally, just behind the United States, with expatriates making up around 90% of the country’s population. That demographic reality creates sustained, high-volume demand for remittance services and pressure on providers to offer digital-first options at lower cost.
Total outward remittance transaction value from the UAE reached nearly $47 billion in 2025, with the market expected to grow at a compound annual rate of around 4.7% through 2030. Yet much of that volume still flows through physical exchange houses, particularly among lower-income workers who value in-person service and trust established brands.
The UAE government has been tightening oversight of the space, introducing licensing requirements for money transfer operators and mandating compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards under the Central Bank of the UAE’s regulatory framework. That regulatory push is prompting more operators to embrace formalized digital infrastructure — the exact gap that a partnership like ABHI and Federal Exchange is positioned to fill.
For ABHI, which operates across the MENAP region with a focus on SME lending and neobanking, the deal extends its footprint into the UAE’s crowded but still-evolving remittance corridor.
