SmartCrowd vs. Funding Souq

Crowdfunding Investment in Dubai - Reviews & Features Comparison

Overview

The tablebelow highlights the core features offered by crowdfunding platforms Funding Souq and SmartCrowd.

Funding Souq offers global investors an opportunity to invest in SMEs located in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

SmartCrowd meanwhile offers investors fractional real estate ownership on properties in Dubai.

Both platforms offer enticing returns, but they operate very differently. To choose which is right for you, we’ve broken down the key points you need to know – everything from fees and how soon you can exit your investments, to what the actual returns look like, so you don’t have to read through the fine print.

Features Comparison

For Investors

Platform feature	Funding Souq	SmartCrowd
What are you investing in?	You are investing in financing SMEs in the UAE and Saudi Arabia that are seeking working capital to grow their businesses.	- You are purchasing a fraction of a Dubai property along with a pool of other investors. - More specifically, you become a shareholder in a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up for each property.
Who can invest?	- Funding Souq’s Global platform can onboard nearly all nationalities, allowing almost anyone to invest in UAE-based businesses. - Funding Souq’s KSA platform can onboard only Saudi nationals and residents as per Saudi Central Bank regulation.	Opportunities are open to nearly all international investors.
What is the minimum investment?	The minimum investment is SAR/AED 1,000, or approximately $270.	The minimum investment is AED 500.
What is the maximum investment?	In the UAE - Retail investors can invest up to AED 365,000 per year and AED 36,000 per business. In Saudi Arabia - Retail investors can invest up to SAR 250,000 per year and up to 25% of any opportunity’s total requested amount	- SmartCrowd limits maximum ownership to 24.99% of any single property. - Retail investors can invest up to AED 183,649 in any property and are restricted to AED 367,277 AED overall per calendar year.
What returns can investors expect?	- Investors can expect a net yield of up to 15% and a IRR of up to 23% as monthly repayments allow for returns to compound - To understand the difference between Yield and IRR read our blog here.	Investors earn both rental income and benefit from potential capital appreciation. As of March 2025, SmartCrowd cites an annual return of 12.4% derived from an average holding period of 3 years and a ROI of 42% for the 3 year period.
When are investors paid?	Investors receive monthly principal and profit repayments. This enables compounding as these repayments are returned.	- Investors only receive monthly profit (rent) payments as the principal is locked away until the sale of the property. - After a five-year holding period, investors vote on whether to sell, with a majority required to initiate a sale. Investors can also vote to sell sooner if a majority of investors want an early sale. - SmartCrowd also offers investors a chance to sell their shares on the platform twice per year.
Can investors cash out early?	Average tenure of investments are 12 months with monthly principal and profit repayment. That being said, investors recover more than 50% of their capital by month 6. However, it isn’t possible to liquidate your holding before the maturity of the loan.	- Not always. Twice yearly share sales are only eligible on properties that have been closed for over a year. - SmartCrowd does not guarantee the share of sales. - SmartCrowd recommends holding properties for five years.
What are the fees for investors?	Zero hidden fees. The returns displayed on the platform are net of any applicable fees. The presented return is what you should expect to earn.	SmartCrowd has three fees: - Entry Fee: 1.5% for each property investment - Annual Administration Fee: 0.5% on total investments - Exit Fee:2.5% of sale price upon exiting investment
Does the platform have an Auto-Investment option?	Yes. Once enabled, the Auto-Invest system will automatically allocate your available funds into new opportunities based on your selected investment strategy.	No.
Are all finance and investment operations sharia-compliant?	Yes. You can find more details about our Shariah certification here.	SmartCrowd says it is in the process of obtaining a sharia-compliant certificate.

Invest with no hidden fees and get returns of up to 23%

Up to 23% return by financing SMEs

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