Dubai’s SmartCrowd sells majority stake to Egypt’s Nawy, aiming to transform property investment in the Middle East. The partnership combines fractional ownership expertise with proptech innovation, opening new doors for investors across the region.
Dubai, UAE:Dubai-based property fintech SmartCrowd has sold a majority stake to Egypt’s fast-growing proptech company, Nawy. This move comes as digital property investment models are gaining momentum across the GCC, transforming how people invest in real estate.
Founded in 2018, SmartCrowd pioneered fractional ownership of properties in Dubai. The platform enables individuals to invest in shares of a property instead of buying it outright, making real estate investment more accessible. Investors can earn rental income and benefit from capital appreciation without needing to manage properties themselves.
According to Riz Ahmed, CEO of SmartCrowd, the acquisition marks a major turning point. “This is a transformative transaction for SmartCrowd,” Ahmed said. “By joining forces with Nawy, we’re building the region’s premier proptech ecosystem. This partnership helps us move from being a startup to a scale-up, positioning us as the go-to platform for real estate investment in the Middle East.”
Over the years, SmartCrowd has facilitated over $110 million in property transactions. It has also returned $40 million to investors through rental income and property sales. As of June, the company has successfully exited more than 50 properties.
One of SmartCrowd’s standout offerings is a product called Flip, which identifies undervalued properties, renovates them, and resells them within about 15 months. Investors in Flip have enjoyed average returns of around 30% on their investments. This approach has allowed SmartCrowd to stand out in the Dubai market, especially as more property developers explore tokenization—a process that uses blockchain technology to allow investors to buy digital shares in properties.
The acquisition by Nawy isn’t just a financial move; it represents a shared ambition to reshape the property investment landscape in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
For Nawy, the deal is part of a larger plan to become a leading proptech company in the region. Nawy recently raised $52 million in a Series A funding round, with participation from UAE’s e& Capital. This funding is part of a broader $75 million strategy to fuel growth across different real estate services, including digital listings, mortgage financing, brokerage, and fractional ownership.
Earlier this year, Nawy acquired ROA, an asset management and home finishing startup. The company relaunched it under the name 'Nawy Unlocked' to expand its services and move closer to its vision of becoming a real estate “super-app.” Nawy’s platform already attracts more than 1 million monthly users and has generated a gross merchandise value of around $3 billion.
With this acquisition, both companies aim to leverage their strengths to offer investors more opportunities and simplify property transactions across borders. SmartCrowd brings its experience in Dubai’s vibrant real estate market and a proven model for fractional ownership, while Nawy contributes its technological expertise, regional reach, and large user base.
The move reflects broader trends in the real estate industry, where technology is making property investment more inclusive and efficient. Digital platforms, tokenization, and fractional ownership models lower the financial barriers to entry and offer smaller investors the chance to participate in markets that were once only accessible to wealthy buyers.
For the GCC and the wider MENA region, these developments are likely to boost property market liquidity and attract a new generation of tech-savvy investors.
Looking ahead, the partnership between SmartCrowd and Nawy could set the stage for even bigger changes in the way people buy, sell, and invest in property. As the companies integrate their platforms and services, investors can expect more streamlined processes, diverse investment products, and improved access to high-potential properties across the region.
