Name: Meem Review 2026: Sharia-Compliant Saudi Digital Banking by GIB
Item: Meem
Rating: 3.7
Author: Stephan Kulik

Meem

Gulf International Bank's digital banking arm — Sharia-compliant by structure, SAMA cover via parent.

KSA Sharia-compliant digital SAR SAR 200,000 (SAMA DPS via GIB) Saudi Deposit Protection Fund

2014Founded · Saudi Arabia

—Customers

SAMARegulator

SAR 200,000 (SAMA DPS via GIB)Saudi Deposit Protection Fund

11 Mar 26Last reviewed

What Meem is, in 2026

Digital banking arm of Gulf International Bank. SAMA-regulated via the GIB parent licence. Sharia-compliant product structure (profit-share rather than interest-bearing accounts).

Safety and regulation

SAMA full-bank cover via the GIB parent; SA Deposit Protection Fund up to SAR 200,000 per depositor.

Who Meem is for

Use Meem if: you want Sharia-compliant Saudi digital banking with private-banking-grade investment access. Use stc Bank if you don't need Sharia compliance and want the broader customer base + telecom integration.

How it stacks up.

Wio 77

CBUAE

UAE-native digital full-bank, CBUAE-licensed since 2022. Backed by ADQ + Alpha Dhabi + Mubadala + e&. Instant onboarding via Emirates ID and a multi-currency core (AED + USD + EUR + GBP) make it the strongest local-licensed competitor to Liv. and Mashreq Neo. AE DPS cover under the new UAE Deposit Protection Scheme.

Zand 77

CBUAE

UAE's first fully-digital full bank — CBUAE-licensed since 2021. Holds its own banking licence (not a partner-bank). Both retail and corporate banking offered. Adds full-bank diversity to the UAE set alongside Wio.

stc Bank 76

SAMA

First SAMA-licensed digital full bank in Saudi Arabia (received bank licence 2023, originally launched as stc pay in 2017). Backed by Saudi Telecom (stc) — telecom-grade reach across the Kingdom. Multi-currency support and instant onboarding via Absher distinguish it from legacy KSA banks. SAMA Deposit Protection Fund cover.

Or compare side-by-side

Meem vs Wio → Meem vs Zand → Meem vs stc Bank →

Sharia-compliant Saudi digital banking by GIB.
One of the earliest KSA digital-banking offerings (2014). GIB private-banking heritage.

Meem launched in 2014 as the digital banking arm of Gulf International Bank — one of the first KSA digital-only banking offerings. Sharia-compliant by structure: returns are framed as profit-share rather than interest. Operates under GIB's full Saudi banking licence (SAMA-regulated). SA Deposit Protection Fund cover applies via the parent. Distinguishes itself vs. stc Bank by depth of wealth-management access through the GIB private-banking heritage; lower customer reach than stc Bank's telecom-scale distribution.