The Challenge
Emerald24 had already figured out partnerships. They built their entire business on it, and it worked.
But when they entered the UAE fintech market, the playbook that worked everywhere else started showing cracks. They were competing against names like Wio Bank, 3S Money, and Payoneer. Established players with serious brand recognition and marketing budgets.
Emerald24 was different. They were an agile, specialized fintech targeting a specific niche: Freezone companies registered as SPVs for international trade, primarily with European UBOs. The product was solid. The partnerships were signed. But something wasn't translating in the UAE ecosystem.
They needed to adapt their approach for a market that operates differently.
What We Found
Most companies in Emerald24's position would have doubled down on signing more partnerships. More partners means more growth, right?
But that wasn't the problem. They already had partnerships. What they needed was a way to activate and keep them engaged systematically in a market they were still learning to navigate.
The UAE fintech landscape has its own rules. Different partners. Different ways of building trust. Different channels that actually work. Their existing partner activation strategies weren't built for this ecosystem, and they needed positioning that would help them compete without trying to outspend the big brands.
What We Did Together
We started with a strategic workshop to get everyone aligned. The first insight was simple but crucial: stop chasing new partnerships and focus on activating the ones you already have.
That shift changes everything. You go from constantly pitching to systematically enabling. From hoping referrals happen to building a repeatable process that makes them happen.
We worked with their team to develop positioning specifically for the UAE market. Not positioning that tried to compete with Wio Bank on brand awareness. Instead, we helped them lean into what made them different: an agile, specialized fintech that understood their specific market better than anyone else.
We built the partner enablement infrastructure they were missing. Created partner one-pagers and sales materials. Established best practice introductions. Connected them with the IFZA partner network. Ran a LinkedIn Live event to activate their network (that transformed into an ongoing campaign that they run every month).
We documented everything. The frameworks. The workflows. The positioning strategy. So their team had a repeatable process they could execute and refine over time.
The Outcome
Emerald24 walked away with strategic clarity on how to compete in a crowded market without needing the marketing budgets of established players. They understood how to position themselves as an agile, specialized fintech rather than trying to out-brand the competition.
They got systematic activation frameworks, documented playbooks for partner communication, event strategies, and local engagement. Not theory on slides. Actual frameworks their team could use.
Most importantly, they had a strategic shift in how they think about growth. Instead of constantly signing new partnerships, they now have a systematic way to activate the partnerships they already have.
