Disrupting Personal Finance
Gulf Business|April 2017

Amid tougher economic conditions, technology is bringing change to the Gulf’s personal finance market.

Robert Anderson
Disrupting Personal Finance

Conditions in the Gulf ’s personal finance market are often a good indication of the general health of regional economies and 2016 was no different.

Just as regional banks faced a liquidity crunch linked to low oil prices last year, consumers experienced increased difficulty gaining access to credit, particularly when it came to personal loans.

Comparison site Compareit4me reported that 1.68 per cent fewer people applied for loans last year than in 2015, suggesting consumers did not feel secure enough to commit to longer loan agreements.

Meanwhile, those that did faced increased hurdles, with a 10.26 per cent rise in applications indicating banks were less willing to give out credit.

“Certainly the liquidity crunch caused by the low oil price has had its effect on consumers looking for easy credit – which doesn’t really exist anymore. In 2016, users made an average of 2.97 applications each for personal loans, suggesting that banks were being more stringent on who they were offering personal finance to,” says Jon Richards, CEO, Compareit4me.com.

Amid this more difficult climate, the aggregator site and its rival Souqalmal are an example of the changing personal finance landscape in the UAE and wider Gulf region, with technology playing a larger role than ever before.

Where once applying for an account involved venturing to a bank’s nearest branch, and credit cards and loans were sold over the phone through often unwanted cold calling, technology is putting the power back in the consumer’s hands in more ways than one.

Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Gulf Business.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Gulf Business.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA GULF BUSINESSSe alt
Green lights
Gulf Business

Green lights

It hasn’t even been a full year that Stellantis, one of the world’s biggest auto companies, has been in existence. Still, its wheels are spinning furiously. Here’s what it has in store for the region

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2021
Purpose through corporate responsibility
Gulf Business

Purpose through corporate responsibility

Every organisation must deeply reflect about whether they are leaving behind a legacy or a liability, says Abdulaziz AlSowailim, EY MENA chairman and CEO

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2021
Analysing the layers of a coconut
Gulf Business

Analysing the layers of a coconut

When we have a sense of clarity as to our purpose in life, then we institute the correct practices and habits around us, and set realistic and achievable results

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2021
DUNES TO DOMINION
Gulf Business

DUNES TO DOMINION

FOR A COUNTRY RICH IN TRADITION AND DRIVEN BY AMBITION, THE UAE’S JOURNEY DURING THE PAST 50 YEARS HAS BEEN UNPRECEDENTED. WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE NEXT 50?

time-read
9 mins  |
December 2021
Building strong
Gulf Business

Building strong

International investors are boosting Dubai’s residential property market, which has rebounded strongly from the Covid crisis, writes Aarti Nagraj

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2021
CHASING THE AMERCIAN DREAM
Gulf Business

CHASING THE AMERCIAN DREAM

FOR SHAI ZAMANIAN, THE US IS A LAND OF LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES, AN AVENUE HE AIMS TO OPEN FOR FAMILIES WORLDWIDE VIA IMMIGRATION. HERE’S HOW HE IS BRINGING HIS GOAL TO FRUITION

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2021
OBITUARY: JOCELYN HENDERSON (1921-2021)
Gulf Business

OBITUARY: JOCELYN HENDERSON (1921-2021)

THE GRANDE DAME OF ABU DHABI – THE WIFE OF A FORMER DIPLOMAT – PASSED AWAY IN THE UAE CAPITAL AGED 100

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2021
THE DIGITAL DISRUPTORS
Gulf Business

THE DIGITAL DISRUPTORS

IN THE COMING YEARS, THE GCC IS EXPECTED TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SECTORS SUCH AS HEALTHCARE, MANUFACTURING, EDUCATION AND RETAIL, WHICH WILL HELP BOOST THE GROWTH OF ITS NON-OIL ECONOMY

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2021
Signed, sealed, delivered
Gulf Business

Signed, sealed, delivered

Nicolas Baretzki, CEO of Montblanc, partnered with one of the world’s most recognisable luxury brands, Ferrari, earlier this year. Here’s where the partnership, and the German company as well, is headed next

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2021
UP, UP AND AWAY
Gulf Business

UP, UP AND AWAY

AS THE FIRST IN-PERSON AIRSHOW TO TAKE PLACE SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE PANDEMIC, THE EVENT SAW SEVERAL DEALS ANNOUNCED

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2021