The thesis
Three hypotheses we are building to test
Sharia trade and asset structures create richer, decision-useful transaction information.
Alternative data and AI can process that information economically, even at small ticket sizes.
Together they support productive economic outcomes and a financially sustainable institution.
The product
Niya Lens: five lenses, not one score
Niya Lens is our underwriting framework. It looks at a business and at the specific trade being financed, then gives a human credit committee richer, traceable evidence.
The business
Cash-flow stability, margins, existing obligations and formal data
The transaction
Supplier, asset, purchase price, demand and cash conversion
Operating data
POS activity, payment behaviour, seasonality and volatility
The operator
Experience, governance and execution track record
Structure
Direct supplier payment, security where appropriate, exposure limits and monitoring
Every variable traceable to its source. Every decision made and explained by people.
Where we are
Early, and building in the open
R5 million committed
R2 million already deployed into real SME transactions.
12 transactions completed
All performing as agreed.
Niya Lens in use
Applied to every deal. Next: automating it with AI on live transactions by mid-2027.
How we plan to reach SMEs: inside the POS and accounting software they already use, at the point of order through suppliers and distributors, and directly for businesses with a clear trade or asset need.
We have sat on every side of this deal: as the borrower, running food, bakery and retail businesses; as the financier, underwriting our own transactions; and as the builder of the operating systems behind them. We built Niya Capital to be the financier we needed as operators.
Build this with us
Who we want to hear from
Capital partners
Investors and institutions interested in partnering with Niya.
Tech talent
Engineers and data scientists who want to build explainable underwriting.
Suppliers and distributors
Businesses that could offer Niya funding to their customers at the point of order.
Software platforms
POS and accounting providers interested in offering Niya funding inside their software.
Sharia scholars
Scholars interested in governance that covers execution, not only documentation.
SMEs
Growing businesses with a clear trade or asset need, open to sharing operating data.
Get in touch
Tell us which group you belong to and what you would like to explore.
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