Aljazira Bank amplifies digital versatility

The bank’s ajb business app is catering to Saudi Arabia’s SME agenda in which digital platforms are expected to support payments, payroll, controls and administration as much as access to finance

SME banking in Saudi Arabia is no longer judged only by lending appetite. As the kingdom works to raise the contribution of smaller businesses to the economy, banks are being pushed to solve a more everyday problem: help SMEs manage accounts, payments, payroll, access controls and business administration without adding cost or complexity.

At the centre of Aljazira Bank’s SME proposition is its ajb business app, a digital banking platform for corporate, public sector and micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) clients. The platform brings together account services, payments and additional business tools in one environment, giving business customers a wider operating layer than a basic online banking channel.

The account services include user management, structured workflows, interactive dashboards, credit card management and POS management. The payments layer covers single and bulk transfers, bill payments, payroll processing and standing orders. The additional services include digital onboarding, escrow account administration and a thrift savings plan.

Upgraded platform

Aljazira Bank’s strategy in 2025 focused on making that platform more usable and scalable. The bank redesigned the ajb business interface, improved performance and upgraded the underlying architecture. It also expanded the operational journeys around authority levels, limit configurations, escrow management and self-service user administration.

That detail is important in SME banking because smaller companies often need bank-grade controls without the internal finance infrastructure of larger corporates. A stronger workflow structure, easier user administration and clearer dashboarding can make the difference between a digital channel that is used occasionally and one that becomes part of how a business is run.

The escrow administration capability also strengthened the proposition, particularly for businesses managing funds across multiple accounts. Combined with digital onboarding and self-service administration, it gave the platform a broader role in business operations.

Tangible results

The reported growth figures gave the case its strongest evidence. Aljazira Bank recorded a 528% increase in customer growth in 2025 compared with 2024. Cross-border payments rose 145%, local payments grew 31% and interactions on ajb business were up 170%. Payroll processing climbed by 9.7%.

Those metrics point to higher use across the platform’s core SME functions, rather than adoption of a single product feature. They also show the bank’s SME proposition moving beyond a narrow financing relationship into transaction banking, payroll, account administration and employee-related financial services.

Aljazira Bank’s 2025 results give its platform work a stronger operating backdrop. The bank reported full-year 2025 net income of SR1.5bn ($399.7m), up 22% year on year, supported by broad-based business growth. The SME relevance lies in the direction of the platform itself: ajb business shows the bank competing through recurring digital utility and not only through products sold at the point of need.