Nehal Helmy, an economist with deep experience in financial and private sector development, is the co-founder of Flend, a Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA)-licensed digital non-banking financial institution (NBFI) in Egypt. The platform was created to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a sector long constrained by limited credit and slow loan approvals.
Helmy’s path to co-founding Flend was shaped by her extensive background in economic policy and development. Before launching the fintech venture, she served as an Economic Advisor at Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation, where she managed relationships with major partners such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Her work on large-scale development initiatives revealed just how difficult it was for smaller businesses to access affordable financing in Egypt’s economy.
Motivated by this insight, Helmy set out to design a technology-driven solution that would make lending faster, simpler, and more inclusive for SMEs. Traditional financial institutions often demand excessive paperwork and rigid collateral, so she and her co-founders envisioned a digital lending platform that connects directly to the digital ecosystems where SMEs already operate.
“We’re not just digitising old processes — we’re creating new rails for finance that are faster, fairer, and built for scale,” Helmy told Weetracker.
Founded in 2023, Flend uses data analytics and proprietary credit-scoring models to assess risk and disburse loans efficiently. Through its embedded finance model, SMEs can access working capital directly from within digital platforms in sectors such as e-commerce, agriculture, healthcare, and retail, bypassing many of the bureaucratic hurdles associated with conventional banking.
Flend aims to disburse EGP 1 billion in SME loans within its first few years; a small but significant step toward closing Egypt’s estimated $50 billion SME credit gap. Since obtaining its FRA licence, the company has partnered with more than 20 digital platforms across manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and export sectors.
In mid-2025, Flend raised $3 million in seed funding through a mix of equity and debt financing. The round was led by Egypt Ventures, with participation from Camel Ventures, Sukna Ventures, Banque Misr, and support from MSMEDA and other local banks. The funds are being used to scale Flend’s technology infrastructure, refine its products, and expand its nationwide reach.
While Flend’s growth signals rising investor confidence in Egypt’s fintech ecosystem, challenges persist, including low financial literacy, informal business practices, and evolving regulations. Still, Flend’s data-driven approach highlights a growing trend in Egypt’s financial sector: using technology to make finance more accessible, inclusive, and efficient for small enterprises.
Helmy’s work reflects a wider shift in Egypt’s economy, where technology and innovation are becoming tools for structural change. By blending her policy expertise with entrepreneurial vision, she represents a new generation of leaders reimagining how digital finance can empower SMEs, the true backbone of Egypt’s economy.
