If entertainment platforms can predict what people want to watch, then banks can predict what people need financially.

That's the idea showcased by two founders who took the stage in Dubai before investors on Wednesday, as the UAE doubles down on its ambition to become the region's fintech capital.

In a region where on-demand digital services have become second nature, co-founders of Daleel, argued that the country's next major leap will come from making finance just as intuitive.

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Presenting at an investor pitching session organised by Khaleej Times Events at the Address Skyview, the duo unveiled what they call the region's first personalised financial marketplace - built in the UAE, for the UAE and wider GCC.

Prashant opened the pitch with a comparison every consumer in the room instantly recognised.“Experiences offered by the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Spotify...” he began, before pointing out the irony. While these platforms can predict entertainment preferences with uncanny accuracy, banks are still far behind.

Using unified data

“In the region, users keep their savings, salary, investment and credit account spread across three to four different banks,” he said. With fragmented data, banks have no holistic view of how customers actually spend and save - yet they remain eager to attract them.

“Banks continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in acquiring customers using the traditional marketing methods since they don't have access to holistic information; they don't know when it's the right time to offer a right product to a customer.”

Daleel wants to fix that.

The platform brings together products from multiple banks and uses open-finance integrations to personalise recommendations. In simple terms, it turns financial decision-making into what feels like a guided journey - one that adapts to users' lifestyles rather than forcing them to sift through endless options.

Ridaa demonstrated how the app works through two fictional but relatable UAE-based consumers.“Ahmed (fictional name) logs onto the app. He can go through all the different products that are available in the market. He doesn't know what kind of credit card he's looking for, but he knows he wants to earn some extra air miles," she said, explaining how Daleel picks the top options based on behaviour, not guesswork.

Another example was Mariam (fictional name), a frequent Emirates flyer. With data showing her travel patterns, Daleel pushes a credit card“that helps her gain more air miles on Emirates.” On the backend, she added, the insights are sold to banks so they can craft better-targeted products.“We charge a fee for our insights and 10 to 15 per cent commission for any products that we sell on the app.”

With the UAE positioning itself as a global fintech hub and a young, digitally-native population across MENA -“about 470 million in the MENA region, the opportunity... is huge. We are talking about 450 billion $US,” Ridaa noted - the timing couldn't be stronger.

The founders emphasised that their advantage comes from deep regional roots. Prashant explained,“In 2018, I built the first open finance platform (Tarabut Gateway) here in the region... and that's where I met my co-founder.” Together, they've secured regulatory trust across the UAE, Qatar and beyond.

And all this, he pointed out, came with“zero marketing spend” yet“amazing traction” from banks and users alike.

Investors pressed on future expansion and competition. Prashant made it clear that while Western players like NerdWallet and ClearScore dominate elsewhere,“in the region, no one.”

As for growth, Daleel plans to move from banking into insurance, utilities and even adjacent sectors like food delivery - where financial behaviour can inform smarter targeting.

For now, the focus remains firmly on the UAE.“We are focusing right now in the UAE, and then looking to expand into the wider GCC region.”

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