SC Ventures, Standard Chartered’s innovation, fintech investment, and ventures arm, today announced an investment in Vrtx, a Saudi-based embedded finance infrastructure platform, to support the company’s next phase of growth in the Kingdom.
Subject to regulatory approval, Vrtx aims to enable businesses to integrate financial capabilities, including digital wallets, card issuance, payment processing, payouts, and KYC, directly into their products and customer journeys through a modular platform and APIs. This is designed to let businesses across sectors, including fintech, logistics, and HR, access the financial capabilities they need without building and managing the underlying infrastructure themselves.
The investment comes as Vrtx reaches several important development milestones. The company has received In-Principle Approval from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) for an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence and has closed a US$3.6 million pre-seed funding round, providing a strong foundation for its next stage of growth.
SC Ventures supports the growth of Saudi Arabia’s fintech ecosystem, driven by Vision 2030, ongoing regulatory development, and rising business demand for embedded financial services. It also fits within SC Ventures’ broader focus on scalable financial infrastructure and SME enablement in the Kingdom.
Beyond capital, SC Ventures will support Vrtx through access to its global venture ecosystem, strategic relationships and market expertise, while helping identify potential commercial opportunities and partnerships. As Vrtx continues to scale in Saudi Arabia, the two organisations will also explore relevant ecosystem connections and strategic collaborations, with potential opportunities to support the company’s growth across the wider region over time.
Commenting on the investment, Country Lead, SC Ventures – Saudi Arabia, Gabriel Heredia, said: “Saudi Arabia’s fintech ecosystem is maturing quickly, and embedded finance is becoming an increasingly important part of the infrastructure enabling businesses to integrate financial capabilities directly into their customer experiences. Vrtx has built a strong technology platform and is establishing the partnerships and regulatory foundations required to scale embedded finance in the Kingdom. Our investment reflects the opportunity we see in the Kingdom and in the team’s ability to scale. Our involvement is also about more than capital. We see an opportunity to bring our venture ecosystem, relationships and market experience to support Vrtx as it enters its next phase of growth.”
Mishal Bin Slimah, Founder of Vrtx, added: “This investment marks an important milestone for Vrtx as we continue building the infrastructure powering embedded finance in Saudi Arabia. Partnering with SC Ventures brings more than capital; it provides strategic expertise, a global network, and deep experience in scaling financial technology businesses. Together, we look forward to accelerating innovation and enabling more businesses to seamlessly embed fintech products into their customer experiences.”
The investment builds on SC Ventures’ growing activity in Saudi Arabia. In February 2026, SC Ventures signed a memorandum of understanding with Sanabil Studio to co-build SME-focused fintech ventures in the Kingdom, reflecting its broader strategy to support Saudi Arabia’s financial innovation ecosystem through investment, venture building and strategic partnerships.
