← State of Embedded Finance 2026

Wealthface

“Can a UAE-headquartered retail investment platform become the one-stop-shop financial platform for MENA and diaspora investors seeking affordable, Shariah-aware access to US capital markets?”

Founded2018
HQAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
FoundersBilal Majbour
Total raised$3.0M
IndustryFintech / Investment
The story

Founded in 2018 as a UAE-based robo-advisory and passive investing platform, Wealthface has progressively expanded from automated ETF portfolio management into active self-directed trading and niche Islamic finance. The company built its brokerage infrastructure on DriveWealth (with Citibank N.A. custody) to enable fractional US equities trading from $1 for underserved MENA-region investors. The embedded finance angle centres on open-banking-enabled funding (via Plaid's Face X) and a multi-product suite — robo-investing, self-directed trading, Halal portfolios, and factor investing — all under one platform regulated by both the SEC and ADGM FSRA.

Last 12 months
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Product timeline
2018
Wealthface founded by Bilal Majbour in Abu Dhabi to democratize access to US and global investment markets for retail investors.· pivot
2019
Terms of Service effective November 2019, marking formal platform launch with automated ETF portfolio investing (Wealthface Invest).· banking
2021
Launched Wealthface Trade, enabling retail users to buy and sell 8,500+ US-listed stocks and ETFs from $1, powered by DriveWealth brokerage infrastructure.· card
2022
Launched Face X, a local bank-account funding feature using Plaid to connect users' financial accounts for instant deposits.· banking
2023
Launched Mahfaza, a Shariah-compliant (Halal) investment portfolio product targeting Muslim investors.· pivot
2023
Launched Factor Investing product, allowing users to build and manage factor-based portfolios.· pivot
Regulated entities
Registered Investment Adviser
US (SEC)
Wealthface Limited
Financial Services License
UAE (ADGM FSRA)
Wealthface Limited
The stack
Open banking
Plaid
Accounting gap: minor