Dubai – Sharikat Mubasher: A new Visa report found that 96% of surveyed SMEs in the UAE use digital payments, but only 39% use platforms that combine payments with other business management tools.

The report, dubbed ‘Pay and Get Paid 2026’, highlighted administrative challenges facing surveyed businesses, with 30% citing difficulties tracking outstanding invoices, 29% struggling to organize payroll records, and 28% reporting challenges preparing financial reports.

Despite these hurdles, 82% of surveyed SMEs expressed interest in all-in-one payment and business solutions, indicating a gap between demand and adoption.

Among surveyed businesses, 17% viewed integrated platforms as potentially too expensive, while 12% believed their businesses were too small to need them. Another 11% were unaware such tools existed.

The report also found that 91% of surveyed UAE SMEs already using integrated solutions were satisfied with them, while 85% reported efficiency gains, including reduced time and effort spent managing operations.

Commenting on this, Mario Makary, Vice President and Country Manager for the UAE at Visa, said integrated platforms could help financial institutions better understand SME cash flows and consider tailored support and financing solutions where appropriate.