Turn SME financial visibility into measurable growth, liquidity access and ecosystem engagement.
If a controlled 150-SME pilot validates the proposition, this is why du would scale it, how the commercial relationship could work and exactly what evidence would be required first. Nothing here is agreed, integrated or measured.
Section 1
Why this matters to du
A commoditised connectivity relationship becomes a financial growth relationship.
Section 2
Why SMEs would return
A bill is a monthly obligation. A financial health score is a monthly reason.
A health score with visible drivers gives the business something it can improve.
A small number of next-best actions replaces an overwhelming product catalogue.
A liquidity opportunity appears when the cash gap appears, not weeks later.
The growth passport builds an evidence record the SME keeps and reuses.
Section 3
150-SME pilot proposition
MODELLED 150-SME PILOT BUSINESS CASE
| Line | Conservative | Base | Expansion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modelled active businesses | 18 of 150 MODELLED | 33 of 150 MODELLED | 51 of 150 MODELLED |
| Platform operating cost | AED 240,000 MODELLED | AED 240,000 MODELLED | AED 240,000 MODELLED |
| Estimated operator workload | 54.8 hours per review cycle MODELLED | 54.8 hours per review cycle MODELLED | 54.8 hours per review cycle MODELLED |
| Partner / integration cost | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN |
| SME support cost | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN |
| Compliance / KYC cost | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN |
| Funding partner economics | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN |
| Potential FunderaX revenue | AED 39,420 MODELLED | AED 127,050 MODELLED | AED 311,100 MODELLED |
| Modelled contribution margin | AED -200,580 MODELLED | AED -112,950 MODELLED | AED 71,100 MODELLED |
| Potential du economic benefit | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED UNKNOWN |
Inputs required from du
du SME ARPU by segment · du SME churn rate · du SME acquisition cost · du product margin for cross-sell candidates · du customer lifetime value assumptions · du referral and partner commercial rules — none is invented here.
Section 4
Commercial flywheel
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL FLYWHEEL — no loop has been executed with a real SME.
Section 5
du value tree
Eight potential value categories. None has occurred.
Mechanism: A financial growth experience gives du Business a reason to attract SMEs beyond connectivity pricing.
Measurement: New du Business SME accounts attributable to the growth experience, versus a control group.
Baseline required: du SME acquisition rate and channel mix before the pilot.
Pilot evidence required: Attributed sign-ups during an authorised pilot window.
Evidence today: NOT_MEASURED
Mechanism: Financial health and next-best-actions create a recurring reason to return, not a once-a-month bill view.
Measurement: Monthly active SMEs and repeat sessions per SME inside the growth experience.
Baseline required: Current du Business digital engagement per SME.
Pilot evidence required: Session and repeat-visit telemetry from a real cohort.
Evidence today: NOT_MEASURED
Mechanism: An SME whose liquidity and financial visibility depend on the experience has a switching cost beyond tariff.
Measurement: Churn of engaged SMEs versus a matched control cohort over the same window.
Baseline required: du SME churn rate by segment. FunderaX does not have it.
Pilot evidence required: A pilot long enough to observe a churn cycle.
Evidence today: NOT_MEASURED
Mechanism: Financial context makes a relevant du product recommendation possible at the moment the need appears.
Measurement: Referrals raised, accepted and converted into du products, by recommendation type.
Baseline required: Current du cross-sell conversion and product catalogue rules.
Pilot evidence required: Referral outcomes returned by du for the pilot cohort.
Evidence today: NOT_MEASURED
Mechanism: Suitable SMEs are routed toward regulated funding and service partners; FunderaX never lends.
Measurement: Qualified referrals, partner acceptance rate and partner-reported outcomes.
Baseline required: Partner referral terms. None are contracted.
Pilot evidence required: Signed partner terms and partner-confirmed outcomes.
Evidence today: NOT_MEASURED
Mechanism: A health score, its drivers and a small number of actions give the SME something to improve.
Measurement: Share of SMEs viewing their health score and acting on a recommendation.
Baseline required: None required; this is a new surface.
Pilot evidence required: Recommendation view and action telemetry from a real cohort.
Evidence today: NOT_MEASURED
Mechanism: Financial triggers surface relevant du digital services in context rather than in a catalogue.
Measurement: Ecosystem service activations attributable to a contextual recommendation.
Baseline required: du ecosystem service catalogue and current activation rates.
Pilot evidence required: Activation events returned by du for the pilot cohort.
Evidence today: NOT_MEASURED
Mechanism: Privacy-safe aggregate intelligence on SME liquidity pressure, by sector and segment, never per business.
Measurement: Aggregate reporting delivered against an agreed minimum cohort size.
Baseline required: An agreed privacy and aggregation standard with du.
Pilot evidence required: Legal and privacy review sign-off, then aggregate delivery.
Evidence today: NOT_MEASURED
Section 6
Scenario economics
A commercial value simulator with every assumption on screen.
| Output | Value | Provenance | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activated SMEs | 33 | MODELLED | smes × activationRate |
| Monthly engaged SMEs | 68 | MODELLED | smes × monthlyEngagementRate |
| Liquidity opportunities | 45 | MODELLED | smes × liquidityOpportunityRate |
| du cross-sell referrals | 12 | MODELLED | smes × crossSellReferralRate |
| Partner referrals | 18 | MODELLED | smes × partnerReferralRate |
| Modelled FunderaX revenue | AED 89,100 | MODELLED | opportunities × funderaxFeePerOpportunity |
| Modelled du value | UNKNOWN — INPUT REQUIRED | UNKNOWN | (crossSell + partnerReferrals) × duValuePerConversion |
| Modelled operating cost | AED 57,000 | MODELLED | smes × (operatorCost + supportCost) + integrationCost |
| Modelled platform contribution | AED 32,100 | MODELLED | funderaxRevenue − cost |
150
Pilot
Opportunities: 45
Modelled revenue: AED 89,100
modelled capacity
1,000
Controlled expansion
Opportunities: 300
Modelled revenue: AED 594,000
modelled capacity
10,000
Scale stage
Opportunities: 3000
Modelled revenue: AED 5,940,000
load tested capacity
40,000+
du SME base target architecture
Opportunities: 12000
Modelled revenue: AED 23,760,000
load tested capacity
Section 7
Partnership models
Four structures are put forward for discussion. None is recommended, none has been proposed to du and none is agreed.
Who pays: du sponsors the experience for its SME base.
Trigger: A periodic sponsorship fee, independent of financing outcomes.
Upside: Fastest to launch, strongest du brand ownership, no SME pricing friction.
Risk: du carries the cost before engagement value is proven.
Complexity: MEDIUM
Data: SME data stays with FunderaX under SME consent; du receives aggregate intelligence only.
Regulatory: Lowest exposure: no financing economics flow through du.
Evidence before contracting: Pilot engagement evidence · Agreed privacy standard · Security review
Who pays: du licenses the platform per tenant or per active SME.
Trigger: Licence term and active-SME tiers.
Upside: Predictable cost for du and predictable revenue for FunderaX.
Risk: Cost scales with population before outcomes are proven.
Complexity: LOW
Data: Defined in the licence; controller and processor roles must be explicit.
Regulatory: Standard software procurement plus data processing terms.
Evidence before contracting: Security review · Data processing agreement · Service levels
Who pays: Nobody pays up front; value is shared on measured outcomes.
Trigger: A qualified referral or a completed partner outcome.
Upside: du pays only for measured results; strongly aligned incentives.
Risk: Requires agreed attribution, and referral economics must be lawful for each product.
Complexity: HIGH
Data: Attribution requires du to return outcome events for the cohort.
Regulatory: Referral fees for regulated products require review under UAE rules.
Evidence before contracting: Agreed attribution model · Legal review of referral economics · Partner terms
Who pays: du pays a smaller platform fee; the balance is outcome-based.
Trigger: Base fee plus a success component on measured outcomes.
Upside: Balances FunderaX cost recovery with du outcome alignment.
Risk: The most complex to define, measure and audit.
Complexity: HIGH
Data: Combines licence data terms with outcome attribution.
Regulatory: Inherits the review requirements of both structures.
Evidence before contracting: Pilot commercial evidence · Agreed attribution model · Legal and security review
du
Owns the SME relationship · Sponsors and communicates the pilot · Defines its product and referral rules
Never: Receives individual SME financial data · Takes credit risk through FunderaX
FunderaX
Orchestrates the journey · Analyses financial evidence · Recommends next-best actions · Records every step · Measures outcomes
Never: Lends from its own balance sheet unless separately authorised · Holds customer money · Executes regulated payments · Claims bank-confirmed cash without bank evidence · Creates compliance approval from a provider result
Regulated funding partner
Underwrites · Prices · Commits capital · Executes funding within its licence
Never: Delegates credit decisions to FunderaX
Payment / settlement provider
Moves money under its own licence · Returns settlement evidence
Never: Receives an instruction from FunderaX today — no rail is connected
KYC / KYB provider
Verifies identity · Returns provider results and evidence
Never: Issues a compliance decision; the decision stays with the accountable reviewer
Accounting provider
Supplies read-only accounting data under SME consent
Never: Accepts any write from FunderaX
Bank data provider
Supplies read-only balances and transactions · Provides the only acceptable cash confirmation
Never: Initiates a payment
SME
Consents · Connects its data · Chooses whether to act on a recommendation
Never: Is enrolled without consent
Section 8
Pilot to 40,000 scale bridge
A status is never upgraded without its own evidence.
150
Pilot
MODELLED CAPACITY
1,000
Controlled expansion
MODELLED CAPACITY
10,000
Scale stage
LOAD TESTED CAPACITY
40,000+
du SME base target architecture
LOAD TESTED CAPACITY
Section 9
Decision gates
Gate 0 is met. Nothing advances automatically.
| Gate | Status | Owner | Blocking dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gate 0 Architecture and demonstration ready | MET | FunderaX | — |
| Gate 1 External dependencies ready | BLOCKED | FunderaX with providers | SUMSUB_EXTERNAL_VERIFICATION_PENDING · No bank provider connected · DU_SANDBOX_ACTIVATION_PENDING |
| Gate 2 Controlled real-SME pilot authorised | NOT STARTED | du | No du sponsor · No legal or privacy review |
| Gate 3 First 150-SME pilot evidence | NOT STARTED | du and FunderaX jointly | Gate 2 |
| Gate 4 Commercial validation | NOT STARTED | du commercial | Gate 3 |
| Gate 5 1,000-SME controlled expansion | NOT STARTED | du and FunderaX jointly | Gate 4 |
| Gate 6 10,000-SME scale validation | NOT STARTED | du | Gate 5 |
| Gate 7 40,000+ architecture and operational scale | NOT STARTED | du | Gate 6 |
Section 10
What FunderaX needs from du
Short, specific and actionable. Nothing has been requested yet.
A pilot sponsor and named owner
Nothing can start without an accountable du owner.
Owner: du Business leadership
A recruitment mechanism for 150+ SMEs
FunderaX has no route to du SMEs and will not approach them independently.
Owner: du SME marketing
Approved customer communications
SMEs must hear about this from du, in du's approved language.
Owner: du brand and marketing
Legal and privacy review
Consent, data classification, retention and aggregation must be signed off before any real SME.
Owner: du legal and privacy
Agreed pilot KPI definitions
The headline 70% and 40% figures cannot be measured without agreed definitions.
Owner: du strategy
du baseline data where appropriate
Improvement cannot be shown without a pre-pilot comparison.
Owner: du analytics
Commercial product catalogue and referral rules
Recommendations can only point at products du wants recommended.
Owner: du product
Security review
Required before any du-branded experience serves real customers.
Owner: du security
A commercial model discussion
Four structures are proposed; none can be selected unilaterally.
Owner: du commercial
API or partner access if available
No du API, sandbox or credential is known to exist; the pilot can run without one.
Owner: du digital
du Pay discussion
A possible future settlement path. FunderaX executes no payments and proposes none today.
Owner: du payments
Section 11
Commercial measurement
Every commercial result is NOT_MEASURED today.
| KPI | Numerator / denominator | Baseline | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot activation Share of invited SMEs reaching an active financial outcome. | Activated SMEs / Invited SMEs | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Monthly engagement Share of pilot SMEs returning to the growth experience in a month. | Monthly active SMEs / Enrolled SMEs | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Repeat engagement Share returning in two or more consecutive months. | SMEs active in consecutive months / Monthly active SMEs | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Recommendation engagement Share of recommendations viewed and acted on. | Recommendations acted on / Recommendations shown | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Cross-sell referral du product referrals raised from a financial trigger. | Referrals raised / Engaged SMEs | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Partner referral Qualified routings to a regulated funding or service partner. | Qualified referrals / SMEs with an opportunity | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Liquidity opportunity conversion Opportunities that become accepted offers. | Accepted offers / Identified opportunities | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Time to opportunity Elapsed time from data connection to a first identified opportunity. | Sum of elapsed hours / SMEs with an opportunity | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| SME retention intent Stated intent to continue, captured at the end of the pilot. | SMEs stating intent to continue / Surveyed SMEs | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| du service interest Interest expressed in a du service after a contextual recommendation. | Interest events / Recommendations shown | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Cost per activated SME Total pilot operating cost divided by activated SMEs. | Pilot operating cost / Activated SMEs | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Cost per successful outcome Total pilot operating cost divided by bank-confirmed outcomes. | Pilot operating cost / Bank-confirmed outcomes | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
| Platform contribution margin Observed platform revenue less observed operating cost. | Observed revenue − observed cost / n/a | BASELINE_REQUIRED | TARGET NOT_MEASURED |
70% faster loan approval — TARGET / CHALLENGE REFERENCE. A du challenge example target. Not a FunderaX result and not measured.
40% faster business pivot — TARGET / CHALLENGE REFERENCE. A du challenge example target whose definition is not yet agreed. Not measured.
Section 12
Three-minute business case
A three-minute executive sequence, with the boundary stated in every act.
UAE SMEs run without financial visibility, and du already owns the SME relationship that could change that.
Market context, not a measured du finding.
A financial health score, a small number of next-best actions and a growth passport, inside the du Business experience.
A proposed du experience. No du integration exists.
A certified operating model shows exactly how a 150-business pilot would be run, controlled and measured.
150 deterministic simulated businesses. None is a du customer.
Engagement produces insight, insight produces relevant offers, outcomes improve the next recommendation.
A proposed flywheel. No loop has run with a real SME.
Conservative, base and expansion economics with every assumption visible, and a KPI set with agreed definitions pending.
Modelled economics. Every commercial result is NOT_MEASURED.
A gated path from pilot to the du SME base, and a short, specific list of what FunderaX needs from du to start.
40,000 remains a modelled scale scenario. Infrastructure performance at that scale is unvalidated.
FunderaX never: Lends from its own balance sheet unless separately authorised · Holds customer money · Executes regulated payments · Claims bank-confirmed cash without bank evidence · Creates compliance approval from a provider result.
This business case does not mean: du has approved the proposition · a commercial agreement exists · the pilot has executed · commercial outcomes have been observed · du is integrated · FunderaX is proven at 40,000 SMEs · production ready.