SAMA Grants Tamara Consumer Financing Licence, Expanding Saudi BNPL Unicorn's Regulatory Scope

The Saudi Central Bank, known as SAMA, issued a consumer financing licence to Tamara in March 2025. The licence authorises Tamara Finance to provide consumer finance and BNPL services, including financing above SAR 5,000.

The licence moves Tamara from a BNPL permit to a consumer finance licence under SAMA's consumer finance regulatory framework.

FROM BNPL PROVIDER TO REGULATED CONSUMER LENDER

Tamara was founded in Riyadh in 2020 and offers short-term instalment payments, enabling consumers to split purchases at the point of sale into three or four interest-free instalments.

Tamara also operates in the UAE and Kuwait.