The Tech Startups Transforming How MENA Buys and Rents Property

Real estate has long been one of MENA’s most traditional industries - vast in value, slow in process, and resistant to change. Once upon a time, deals were sealed with signatures, not software, and guided more by personal networks than data. But in recent years, shifting demographics, regulatory reforms, and a surge of mobile-first consumers have cracked that legacy open. With expectations shaped by digital banking and e-commerce, buyers and investors are pushing the region’s property market to modernise.

Today, the sector is being reengineered by code, as software begins to rival developers and brokers in shaping how property moves. Across MENA, startups are rethinking everything from how homes are financed to how rent is collected, listed, and managed.

In Kuwait, landlords are turning to platforms that digitise every lease payment. In Dubai, AI-driven tools are cutting mortgage approvals from weeks to days. In Casablanca, data analytics is replacing word-of-mouth pricing with real-time market intelligence. Proptech has become one of the region’s most dynamic innovation frontiers, bridging the gap between tradition and technology, and transforming real estate from a paper-based industry into a digital ecosystem.

Nawy (Egypt)

Born in Cairo’s bustling property market, Nawy has grown from a listings site into one of the region’s most ambitious real estate ecosystems. The startup integrates property search, financing, and ownership tools on a single platform- using data and AI to simplify the buyer’s journey. Its signature offerings, like Move Now, Pay Later and Nawy Shares, enable flexible payment options and fractional ownership - two concepts once rare in Egyptian real estate.

By combining sleek tech with localised expertise, Nawy bridges the gap between digital convenience and the human trust essential in major property decisions. Having raised over $75 million in funding, it’s now expanding into Saudi Arabia and Morocco, positioning itself as one of MENA’s first full-spectrum proptech super apps.

Huspy (UAE)

Dubai-based Huspy is altering how home financing works in a region notorious for paperwork-heavy mortgage systems. Founded in 2020, the startup built a digital platform that connects buyers, brokers, and banks - streamlining everything from approvals to valuations. Its algorithms cut mortgage processing time from weeks to days, giving homebuyers near-instant clarity on affordability and lending options.

What sets Huspy apart is its dual focus on user experience and institutional integration. It partners directly with major banks while maintaining a consumer-first interface. As property demand rises among expats and investors, Huspy’s platform has become a key enabler of real estate accessibility in the UAE.

Stake (UAE)

Stake has made real estate investing in the Gulf as easy as buying stocks. The Dubai-based platform lets users purchase fractional shares of rental properties, democratising access to an asset class once reserved for the wealthy. Investors can start with as little as $136, earning monthly returns while Stake manages everything from tenant relations to upkeep. By merging regulatory compliance, fintech precision, and property management into one sleek interface, Stake is turning real estate into a liquid, data-driven investment category. It’s an especially powerful model in a region where high property prices often lock out younger investors eager to build wealth.

Ajar (Kuwait)

From Kuwait to the wider Gulf, Ajar is bringing precision and accountability to the region’s rental economy. Its platform enables tenants to pay rent online through cards, bank transfers, or digital wallets, while landlords receive instant confirmations and automated receipts - replacing the region’s long-standing reliance on cash and postdated cheques. Beyond payments, Ajar centralises lease renewals, maintenance requests, and tenant communications in one dashboard, giving property owners real-time visibility into occupancy and revenue flows.

Ajar works with major property developers and corporate landlords to simplify operations at scale. By digitising every step of the rental lifecycle, it’s building the infrastructure for a more transparent and accountable rental market across the region.

Agenz (Morocco)

In Casablanca, Agenz is bringing long-needed data intelligence to Morocco’s real estate sector. The platform offers instant property valuations and market analytics powered by proprietary algorithms and verified transaction data. In a market where price discovery often relies on word-of-mouth or agent intuition, Agenz’s model introduces much-needed objectivity. Its interface allows homeowners and buyers to assess property values in seconds, while professionals can access in-depth market insights. Having raised over $1 million in funding, Agenz is expanding regionally and positioning itself as a data authority in North African real estate - a crucial step toward building investor confidence in emerging markets.

Ejari (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi startup Ejari is rethinking the rental experience through flexible payment innovation. Its Rent Now, Pay Later model allows tenants to spread annual payments across the year- solving a major pain point in a market where landlords typically demand lump-sum rent. The platform also digitises contracts, identity verification, and payment scheduling, giving both sides greater security and convenience. As Saudi Arabia pushes ahead with Vision 2030 and a rapidly diversifying economy, Ejari’s fintech approach is helping make housing more accessible and financially manageable. It’s a smart fusion of proptech and fintech that directly responds to local market realities.

Prop-AI (UAE / Regional)

Prop-AI is bringing advanced analytics to MENA’s property investment landscape. Using AI and machine learning, the platform analyses thousands of listings to generate predictive insights on pricing, rental yields, and neighborhood growth potential. Its clients range from institutional investors to individual buyers seeking smarter decision tools. What makes Prop-AI stand out is its ability to consolidate fragmented regional data into a single analytical dashboard- something that’s been missing from most MENA markets. By equipping investors with quant-grade intelligence, the startup is injecting transparency and sophistication into property decisions long driven by guesswork.

Property Finder (UAE / MENA-wide)

As one of the earliest movers in MENA’s digital real estate space, Property Finder has become the industry’s central infrastructure layer. Founded in 2005, the Dubai-headquartered platform operates across the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Morocco, hosting millions of verified listings and attracting tens of millions of monthly visits. What began as a listings directory has evolved into a full-fledged ecosystem integrating data analytics, mortgage comparison tools, and agent performance tracking. Its Data Finder product gives developers and investors access to real-time pricing and supply trends, while its Mortgage Finder arm streamlines financing through licensed advisors.

Property Finder has established the region’s standard for verified data and transparent discovery, shaping how both consumers and institutions engage with property online. By bridging listings, analytics, and finance in one network, it continues to anchor the digital transformation of MENA’s real estate economy.