In this episode of The MAL Show, we explore the world of private credit, SME financing, and alternative investments in the Middle East.

Why are startups and SMEs still massively underserved by traditional banks in MENA? Why does the region allocate only around 2% of financing to SMEs compared to nearly 28% globally? And why are private credit and alternative financing becoming one of the biggest emerging opportunities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?

Our guest is Omar Alyawer, Partner and Chief Capital Formation Officer at Ruya Partners, with more than 25 years of experience across global firms including J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Franklin Templeton, and Man Group.

We discuss:
• The SME funding gap in the Gulf
• Why banks avoid startups and SMEs
• Private credit vs venture capital vs growth debt
• How returns of 15–18% are generated
• Direct lending vs sponsor-led deals
• The impact of mega projects on capital demand
• Sovereign wealth funds and institutional capital
• Why private credit is booming globally
• The future of alternative finance in MENA

This is a conversation about where money is really moving — and how the financial system is changing in the Gulf.

Subscribe to The MAL Show for more conversations on money, business, technology, and the human side of finance.

To get in touch with us:
podcast@mal.ai

Follow us on Social Media:
https://www.instagram.com/themal.show/
https://www.tiktok.com/@themalshow.podcast
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566478614883

To get in touch with Yousef Salem
https://www.linkedin.com/in/youssefsamysalem/?skipRedirect=true
https://www.instagram.com/youssefsamysalem?hl=en

To get in touch with Omar Al Yawer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/omaralyawer13/

#themalshow #islamicfinance #ai #podcast #fintech #shariafinance

In this episode of The MAL Show, we go beyond finance… and into the deeper forces shaping how we make decisions about money.

How much do your beliefs influence your financial choices?
Can a modern financial system truly align with faith and values?
And what happens when AI enters the equation?

We explore the intersection of faith, law, and innovation—and unpack what it really takes to build a financial system that is not only advanced… but principled.

Our guest is Dr. Angel Wesley—Chief Legal Officer at MAL, with over 20 years of experience in corporate and commercial law, and a graduate of Harvard Law School.

We discuss:

The real meaning of Sharia-compliant finance in today’s world
The legal and ethical challenges of building an AI-native bank
How culture shapes our relationship with money
Whether innovation can coexist with deeply held values
And what MAL is trying to build at a much bigger level

This is not just a conversation about finance.
It’s a conversation about belief, systems, and the future of money.

Powered by MAL
An AI-native financial platform rethinking money through the lens of ethics, values, and intelligent systems.

Please don’t forget to subscribe to our channel to get the latest episodes of The MAL Show.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:45 Dr. Angel's Introduction to Islam
05:35 Does the West understand Islam?
14:04 The UAE culture
32:40 Joining Mal
35:29 How is Mal changing Islamic Finance?
39:09 Commercial Transactions in Islam
45:01 What does Ai Native mean?
53:07 The underserved demographic Mal is solving for
1:02:55 Ethical Banking?

To get in touch with us:
podcast@mal.ai

Follow us on Social Media:
https://www.instagram.com/themal.show/
https://www.tiktok.com/@themalshow.podcast
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566478614883

To get in touch with Yousef Salem
https://www.linkedin.com/in/youssefsamysalem/?skipRedirect=true
https://www.instagram.com/youssefsamysalem?hl=en

To get in touch with Dr. Angel Weslely
https://ae.linkedin.com/in/angel-wesley-abudhabi

#themalshow #islamicfinance #ai #podcast #fintech #shariafinance

In this episode of The MAL Show, we step beyond finance and into the deeper forces that shape how we think, believe, and act.

This conversation takes us on a journey through philosophy, religion, political economy, and civilizations—exploring ancient history, Islamic history, Egyptian history, and the roots of how societies form, evolve, and understand themselves over time.

Our guest is Roy Casagranda—an academic and lecturer known for his powerful ability to connect civilizations, belief systems, and historical moments into one coherent, thought-provoking perspective. Through years of teaching political science and history, he has developed a unique lens on power, meaning, and the evolution of human societies.

Together, we explore:

The roots of civilizations and why they rise and fall
The relationship between religion, philosophy, and power
How historical narratives shape modern societies
The search for meaning—and whether it can ever be fully understood
The deeper forces—seen and unseen—that continue to shape the world today

This is not just a conversation about history…
It’s a conversation about understanding the world—and our place in it.

Powered by MAL — the first AI-native Islamic digital financial platform.
https://www.mal.ai/

Please don’t forget to subscribe to our channel to get the latest episodes of The MAL Show.

To get in touch with us:
podcast@mal.ai

Follow us on Social Media:
https://www.instagram.com/themal.show/
https://www.tiktok.com/@themalshow.podcast
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566478614883

To get in touch with Yousef Salem
https://www.linkedin.com/in/youssefsamysalem/?skipRedirect=true
https://www.instagram.com/youssefsamysalem?hl=en

To get in touch with Dr. Roy Casagranda
https://www.instagram.com/roycasagranda/
https://www.youtube.com/@UCUGwVgtUewevtLvu7NaxVrw

#themalshow #history #economy #war #podcast