Valify’s Triumph: Local Minds, Global Standards, National Transformation

Cairo: Djed – Ashraf Gaber
In the global technology ecosystem, true innovation is rarely about inventing something entirely new. More often, it is about recognizing a gap, adapting global ideas to local realities, and executing with relentless precision. This is the story of Valify, the Egyptian company that transformed digital identity verification from a distant concept into a trusted national infrastructure.

The Challenge: Millions Left Outside the System

For decades, Egypt’s banking model demanded physical branch visits and paper documents to open even the simplest account. For millions of citizens, especially those in rural areas or juggling multiple jobs, this was not just inconvenient, it was exclusionary.

By 2025, the Central Bank of Egypt reported that 64% of adults were financially included, meaning around 24 million Egyptians remained outside the formal financial system. Valify’s mission was clear: to break down this barrier and bring secure, digital-first access to finance.

The Breakthrough: Localized Innovation

Valify’s achievement was not about inventing eKYC, it was about making it work in Egypt.

• Engineering from the ground up: Instead of licensing foreign software, Valify built its own platform locally, integrating directly with Egypt’s national ID database, handling Arabic language processing, and meeting Egyptian compliance standards.
• Navigating regulation: At a time when regulators were cautious, Valify demonstrated that digital verification could be more secure and auditable than traditional methods.
• Proving scalability: By 2023, Valify was processing millions of verifications, cutting onboarding times dramatically and showing that digital trust could operate at national scale.

The Competitive Landscape

As Egypt’s fintech ecosystem matured, other players entered:

• EFG Hermes ONE launched the first FRA-approved eKYC trading platform in April 2024.
• MNT-Halan became the first Egyptian fintech to secure eKYC authorization in March 2025.
• Digified received FRA approval to provide eKYC services in 2024.

Yet Valify stood apart, not because it invented the technology, but because it arrived first with a working, localized, and trusted solution.

The Milestone: FRA License (July 2025)

In July 2025, the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) granted Valify a license to issue digital contracts and manage electronic registries. This was more than a bureaucratic approval, it was recognition that an Egyptian company had engineered a system meeting both international security standards and local regulatory requirements.

Leadership and Vision

Behind Valify’s rise are Omar Abdel-Wahed and Ibrahim Eid, two technologists who combined technical ingenuity with strategic persistence. Abdel-Wahed emerged as the executive leader and public face of the company, while Eid played a pivotal role in shaping its technical foundation. Together, they proved that Egypt could build its own digital trust infrastructure.

Impact: A New Era of Inclusion

Valify’s work is not measured only in transactions, it is measured in lives changed. Millions of Egyptians now have faster, safer access to financial services. The company’s solutions have become part of Egypt’s digital backbone, supporting banks, insurers, telecoms, and government services.

For those previously excluded, this means more than convenience. It means economic dignity, opportunity, and participation.

What Valify Teaches

Valify’s journey dismantles the myth that innovation equals invention. Sometimes disruption is about execution, localization, and timing. By adapting global technology to Egypt’s unique context, Valify proved that Africa’s fintech revolution will not be imported, it will be built by founders who understand their markets, their regulators, and their people.

Looking Ahead: A Blueprint for Africa

With FRA approval secured, partnerships expanding, and technology rivaling global competitors, Valify is more than a successful startup. It is a blueprint for African fintech maturity, a case study in how disciplined execution can unlock inclusion for millions.

Valify’s story is not just about digital identity. It is about proving that the hard part isn’t invention, it’s execution. And in Egypt, two young technologists showed the world how execution can change a nation.