“You either earn or you learn — both are wins.” – Allan Abbas

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, Allan Abbas joins us to explore the world of fintech innovation, startup growth, and what it takes to build a game-changing product in the Middle East. Allan, a former Amazon leader turned founder, shares his personal journey from bootstrapping his first startup to co-founding Emflex — a company focused on fixing car financing in Saudi Arabia.

We dive deep into what it means to “play the two startup games”: lifestyle businesses vs. venture-scale startups, the power of embedded finance, and why the MENA region is primed for fintech disruption.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• The difference between bootstrapped vs. VC-backed startup models

• Why fintech is just getting started in the MENA region

• How AI and open banking are reshaping financial services

• What embedded finance really means — and why it’s the future

• How to navigate fintech regulations in Saudi Arabia

• The psychology of being a solo founder vs. being in a builder community

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📝 Key Takeaways

• Fintech in MENA is still <1% of the banking market — massive upside remains

• The car financing journey today is broken — Emflex aims to cut it from 7 days to 90 minutes

• AI isn’t just a feature; it’s infrastructure

• Open banking gives users control over their financial data — unlocking new business models

• Know which game you’re playing: lifestyle vs. scale — and commit fully

About Allan Abbas

Allan Abbas is a former Amazonian engineer who thrives on pushing boundaries both personally and professionally. He previously launched and bootstrapped a niche sports tourism startup in Dubai, generating $1.2 million in product sales without any mentorship or external funding.

With six years of progressive leadership experience at Amazon, Allan has led large-scale operations, product development, and launch management across multiple verticals. He specializes in assembling and leading high-performing teams. Today, Allan is focused on building an AI-powered fintech startup aimed at transforming the car financing experience across the MENA region.

https://www.allanabbas.com/

https://linkedin.com/in/alanabbas

⏱️ Episode Highlights

00:00 – Intro and Allan’s background

02:00 – From Amazon to startups: The itch to build

04:30 – Why fintech? The “aha” moment

06:00 – Is MENA fintech really saturated?

08:00 – What is embedded finance and why it matters

10:00 – How car financing works today vs. Emflex’s vision

13:00 – How Emflex uses AI to match lenders and improve credit checks

15:30 – Fintech regulations: What founders need to know

19:00 – Why open banking is a game-changer

22:00 – Allan on startup scars, lessons, and pivoting

25:30 – Bootstrapping vs. VC: Choosing your path

29:00 – The Antler experience and value of being among builders

33:00 – MENA startups going global — when and how?

36:00 – Final thoughts, favorite fruit, and closing words

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