Mastercard Expands SME Support Platform Across Middle East With New Partnerships

Mastercard  is expanding the next phase of its Built Small. Moving Strong. platform alongside its sponsorship of Money20/20 Middle East, with new partnerships, research and practical resources aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) grow and adapt to changing market conditions.

Launched earlier this year, the platform brings together financial institutions, governments, technology providers and ecosystem partners to address challenges facing entrepreneurs, including rising costs, disruption and changing customer expectations. Mastercard said its participation at Money20/20 Middle East will provide an opportunity to connect customers and partners around tools and solutions designed to support SME growth.

The latest phase focuses on business insights, growth guidance, access to working capital, business payment solutions and market initiatives designed to provide practical support to SMEs.

As part of the initiative, Mastercard introduced the SME Growth Playbook, a framework designed to help financial institutions identify, acquire, engage and support small businesses. The playbook combines Mastercard’s insights, market learnings and ecosystem practices, providing guidance that can be adapted across different markets.

Mastercard has also launched the SME Confidence Index to track the outlook and priorities of small businesses across key markets. In Saudi Arabia, the research found that 75% of small business leaders are confident about the year ahead, while 67% reported revenue growth over the previous 12 months. The findings also highlighted the growing role of digital payments, with 77% of SMEs accepting online payments.

The company is also expanding its SME payments offering through a partnership with HyperPay. The two companies launched an SME Business Card designed to help businesses manage expenses and improve financial efficiency, with planned expansion beyond Saudi Arabia into the UAE and Qatar.

In another initiative, Mastercard partnered with Jarir to provide Mastercard SME cardholders with discounts on essential products through Jarir’s e-commerce platform. The campaign was designed to provide small businesses with savings that could support productivity and operational efficiency.

“SMEs are the backbone of inclusive economies, but they need more than ambition to grow. They need insight, access, tools and trusted partners. Through Built Small. Moving Strong., Mastercard is bringing together its technology, network and ecosystem partnerships to help small businesses unlock opportunities, strengthen resilience and scale with confidence.”

– Onur Kursun, Executive Vice President, Commercial and New Payment Flows, EEMEA, Mastercard

Mastercard said it will continue expanding Built Small. Moving Strong. through additional partnerships, market activations and entrepreneur-focused programmes. The initiative also forms part of the company’s commitment to bring 500 million people and small businesses onto pathways to financial health by 2030.