Epic Angels, the world’s largest all-female investment collective, has backed Karachi-based fintech Neem in a Pre-Series A funding round, in a move that underscores rising global interest in Pakistan’s digital financial infrastructure.
Based in Singapore, Epic Angels is a network of over 200 high-net-worth female executives and entrepreneurs focused on closing the gender funding gap. Its entry into Neem’s funding round marks a shift from speculative bets to strategic investment in foundational fintech infrastructure rather than consumer apps alone.
The investment comes at a key moment for the sector: on January 12, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) inducted Neem into its first regulatory sandbox for open banking, allowing the company to test financial data-sharing protocols that were previously restricted to traditional banks. Experts say this approval, paired with global backing, highlights confidence in Pakistan’s digital payments evolution.
Neem, founded as an embedded finance and full-stack payments platform, previously raised $2.5 million in seed funding in 2022. While the exact amount of the new funding has not been disclosed, the participation of Epic Angels is considered significant given the limited number of Pakistani startups advancing beyond seed stages.
Unlike traditional banking, Neem’s platform enables businesses across sectors, to integrate financial services, credit, and insurance directly into their apps, a model that could transform access for the country’s majority unbanked or underbanked population.
The deal is not just a win for Neem, but a broader endorsement of Pakistan’s fintech potential, emphasizing the need for policy continuity, regulatory clarity, and patient capital to sustain growth.