Vikas Panchal, General Manager at Tally Solutions MENA, shares how Tally empowers Middle East startups with scalable, localized ERP solutions, strategic partnerships, and financial literacy programs—streamlining operations, ensuring compliance, and driving growth across trading, manufacturing, and professional services.
How is Tally tailoring its software offerings to meet the unique needs of startups and early-stage businesses in the Middle East?
Startups and early-stage businesses are a vital force in the Middle East’s growing economy. At Tally, we recognise that these businesses often begin with compact teams juggling multiple roles. What they need is not just software, but a dependable partner in their journey.
That’s why we’ve tailored Tally to be simple to start with, yet powerful enough to scale. Our startup-focused packs bring together core functions; accounting, inventory, invoicing, compliance, and reporting into a single, easy-to-use system. This means fewer tools, lower costs, and greater control.
Tally’s intuitive design ensures minimal training effort, while its scalability means businesses can grow without disruption. For entrepreneurs in the region, we’re making it easier to focus on building their business, while Tally takes care of the rest.
Can you elaborate on any specific programs or partnerships Tally has launched to support the startup ecosystem in the region?
At Tally, our commitment to the startup ecosystem in the Middle East goes beyond just offering software, it’s about building meaningful partnerships that enable entrepreneurs to thrive. We’ve collaborated with Ignyte, a government-led platform, to support early-stage businesses with access to the right tools and knowledge. In partnership with the Philippine Business Council, we served as technology partners for a 13-week masterclass, equipping over 30 entrepreneurs with practical skills and complimentary access to Tally for three months.
We’re also in active discussions with a few entities to co-create a support program tailored for Emirati founders, featuring hands-on workshops and curated startup resources. Beyond these initiatives, our dedicated support via 800 TALLY and our on-ground partner ecosystem ensures startups always have access to timely guidance, every step of the way.
What role do financial literacy and business education play in your outreach to startups, and how is Tally contributing in this area?
For us at Tally, empowering startups isn’t just about providing software—it’s about building business confidence through financial literacy and education.
We see knowledge as a powerful enabler. At platforms like the STEP Conference, we’ve actively engaged with founders from across Europe and the Middle East, helping them understand how to harness technology for smarter operations.
Through our partnership with Ignyte, we’ve delivered hands-on workshops that go beyond bookkeeping, equipping entrepreneurs with practical financial skills and strategic thinking. Our programs like SME Essentials and Beyond Basics are built to demystify finance and unlock the full potential of TallyPrime, far beyond traditional accounting.
We also run monthly webinars, consistently attracting over 200 registrants, and our radio segment SME Essentials, broadcast on a leading UAE station, reaches an estimated 1.3 million listeners annually. These platforms allow us to bring expert insights and real-world stories to the heart of the entrepreneurial community
How is Tally making its solutions more accessible to startups in terms of pricing, scalability, or localization?
Making our solutions accessible to startups is central to how we build and deliver Tally in the Middle East. We offer flexible subscription options: monthly, quarterly, and annual plans so businesses can choose what fits their stage and budget. For example, on Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, we introduced a special three-month license to support women-led startups with easy access to Tally’s capabilities.
Our platform is built to grow with the business. Startups can start small, with core features and scale seamlessly without disruption or re-implementation. Whether it’s a perpetual license or a rental model, we ensure continuity with regular feature updates.
Localization plays a vital role in how we make Tally work for startups in the region. Our software offers a complete and seamless multilingual experience, including full Arabic support, ensuring ease of use across diverse teams.
We’re also fully aligned with regional regulations, be it VAT, e-invoicing, or the upcoming e-filing standards and our accreditation from both the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) in the UAE and ZATCA in Saudi Arabia gives startups the confidence that they’re working with a trusted, compliant solution from day one. With Tally, there’s no need to worry about constant upgrades or changing mandates, startups can focus on building their business, knowing that compliance is taken care of.
What industries or sectors within the startup space are you seeing the most traction for Tally’s solutions in the Middle East?
In the Middle East, we’re seeing strong traction for Tally across a wide range of startup sectors, particularly in trading, manufacturing, and professional services. Tally’s strength lies in its versatility. It’s not a one-size-fits-all product, it adapts to each business’s unique workflows. Through our robust partner ecosystem, startups can tailor the platform to meet their specific operational needs, right from day one.
As these businesses grow, Tally grows with them, offering consistency, customization, and flexibility, without the need for complex integrations or system overhauls. This makes it an ideal choice for startups looking for both agility and long-term reliability.
How is Tally supporting startups with compliance, VAT regulations, and other local financial requirements?
We’ve long prioritized compliance and regulatory support as essential pillars of our offering. We were among the first to launch a VAT-ready solution when the tax was introduced in the GCC, and today, our accreditation from the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) reinforces the trust startups can place in us. With Tally, they know they’re working with a reliable and compliant platform from day one.
But we go beyond software. We’re deeply invested in building financial literacy around compliance. Our KHDA-approved course, developed in partnership with FinTEDU, blends theory with hands-on training to equip entrepreneurs with practical, product-based knowledge.
We’re also proud founding members of the UAE Taxation Society, supporting broader awareness of tax policy and best practices. And through our collaboration with ICAI Dubai, our TallyPrime Masterclass on Compliance has empowered over 3,000 chartered accountants to elevate their advisory capabilities using our platform. For startups navigating complex regulations, Tally brings both the tools and the knowledge to help them stay compliant with confidence.
What are some success stories or case studies of startups in the region that have benefited from Tally’s support?
One of the success stories that stands out is Alpaga Trading LLC, a promising startup in the UAE’s trading sector. As a young business, they needed a solution that could seamlessly handle both administration and accounting without adding complexity or overhead. After adopting Tally, it quickly became the core of their operations, or as they described it, ‘the soul of our administration and accounts.’
What makes their journey inspiring is how Tally has allowed them to focus on growth rather than processes. With our local support network and training, Alpaga Trading has been able to manage day-to-day operations efficiently, stay compliant, and build confidence for the future. Their experience is a strong reflection of our mission—to empower startups in the region to operate with clarity, simplicity, and scalability.
Looking ahead, what are your strategic goals for expanding Tally’s impact on the startup ecosystem in the Middle East over the next 12–18 months?
Over the next 12–18 months, our focus is on deepening Tally’s footprint across the GCC—especially in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. While we’ve built strong momentum in the UAE through strategic partnerships and ecosystem engagement, we’re now collaborating with key entities in Saudi Arabia to replicate and tailor these efforts for the Kingdom’s dynamic startup landscape.
We’re also in advanced discussions with prominent free zones to integrate Tally’s startup offerings right at the point of business registration. For many new ventures, free zones are the launchpad and we want to be present from day one, offering them the tools to start right.
Recognising that many startups operate from business centers, not traditional offices, we’ve launched a new partnership with DhanGaurd Business Center, where Tally solutions will be embedded into their service offerings for startups and rollout is now underway.
Through these initiatives, our goal is simple: to make startup enablement more accessible, localized, and impactful, helping founders across the Middle East launch and grow with confidence.
