Abhi Partners with InDebted to Launch AI-Native Debt Collections in the UAE

Abhi, a neobank specialising in Earned Wage Access (EWA) and SME lending, has formalised a partnership with InDebted to manage debt collections in the UAE. The move signals a shift toward digital-first, empathetic recovery strategies in the Middle East, prioritising customer retention and automated resolution over traditional, high-friction collection methods.

What was announced

Abhi has appointed InDebted as its collections partner in the UAE following a successful three-month proof of concept. The agreement sees InDebted managing overdue accounts across Abhi’s EWA portfolio through "Collect," its third-party collections product. Abhi, which provides employees the ability to access earned salary before payday, currently works with more than 25,000 companies and was recognised as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer in 2023.

InDebted, which established its presence in the UAE in March 2025 as its seventh global market, operates a dedicated team in Dubai. Its proprietary platform uses artificial intelligence to determine the optimal communication channel, messaging, and timing for each individual customer, supporting both English and Arabic. The system is designed for self-service, allowing users to settle balances, establish payment plans, or raise disputes online at any time without agent intervention. Data from InDebted indicates that 88% of customers who resolve their debts do so entirely through these automated channels. This partnership follows a pilot phase specifically designed to evaluate how InDebted’s automated approach impacted the customer experience for Abhi’s user base.

The companies involved

Abhi is a prominent neobank focused on the Middle East and North Africa region, providing financial wellness tools including Earned Wage Access and credit solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. The company has established a significant footprint in the market, as evidenced by its extensive network of corporate partners. InDebted is a global fintech firm specialising in debt collection through an AI-driven, digital-first approach. Since its entry into the UAE market in early 2025, the company has focused on replacing traditional call-centre-heavy recovery models with automated, data-led strategies. InDebted has been active in expanding its leadership and technological capabilities, recently appointing new executive leadership to oversee its global operations. Both companies occupy critical niches in the emerging fintech ecosystem of the UAE—Abhi by providing liquidity to the workforce and InDebted by managing the back-end credit cycle. Their collaboration highlights a growing trend of fintech-to-fintech partnerships designed to create a seamless end-to-end financial experience for users in the Gulf region.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has followed the growth of both companies closely, with 21 stories covering Abhi and 11 focused on InDebted. Recently, we reported on how InDebted Launches AI Voice Agent to Transform Global Collections and Double Payment Plan Success, highlighting their technological expansion in the UAE. We also covered a major leadership shift when InDebted Appoints Former Glassdoor and Morgan Stanley Execs as CEO and CFO to Drive Global AI Collections. Abhi’s regional expansion has also been a focus, including when Abhi and Red Sea International Launch Earned Wage Access for Saudi Workforce and their work to Launch Integrated SME Credit Infrastructure for UAE Banks alongside NymCard.

What this means

This partnership underscores a maturing credit market in the UAE, where the focus is shifting from simple customer acquisition to long-term lifecycle management. For too long, the collections sector has relied on aggressive tactics that damage brand equity; by integrating AI-driven, self-service recovery, Abhi is protecting its relationship with its 25,000 corporate clients and their employees. This puts traditional debt collection agencies under significant pressure to modernise or risk obsolescence as fintechs demand higher standards of transparency. The industry must now consider whether "empathetic collections" can maintain recovery rates during economic downturns, or if the human element remains a necessary fallback for complex arrears.