The Platform Built for MENA: Why amana Isn’t Just Another Trading and Investing App

In a space where trading and investing platforms often blend into one another—riding the same waves of hype, offering the same features with a different color palette—it’s easy to overlook the story behind the code. But for amana, a homegrown neobroker operating out of the MENA region, the story behind the screen is anything but ordinary.

Since launching in 2022, amana has quietly amassed over 350,000 users, a feat not driven by viral marketing or flash-in-the-pan features, but by a different kind of ambition—to build a trading experience that belongs to the region it serves.

“At the start, we weren’t updating a legacy system or layering features onto an old foundation,” says Mani Sahota, Chief Information Officer at amana. “We began from scratch, and that gave us the freedom—and the responsibility—to make smart choices from the very first line of code.”

The team’s early decision to go all-in on cloud-native architecture wasn’t about buzzwords. It was a strategic move that allowed the platform to flex as demand grew. For a user base that’s mobile-first, tech-savvy, and expects seamless performance, that flexibility wasn’t a luxury—it was essential.

“Speed and stability weren’t things we planned to improve over time,” Sahota adds. “They had to be baked into the core experience from the beginning.”

But amana’s evolution isn’t just about what’s under the hood. It’s also about what users see—and feel. The platform’s clean design, smooth performance, and straightforward flow reflect a key principle: technology should feel empowering, not overwhelming.

That user-centric mindset is what led to one of amana’s boldest moves yet—expanding its crypto asset list to over 450 coins, more than any other broker in the MENA region. It’s not a gimmick; it’s a response to how people actually trade today.

“Traders don’t want to bounce between five apps,” Sahota explains. “They want to access stocks, crypto, forex—everything—in one place. And we believed we could build that without forcing people to choose between traditional assets and the future of finance.”

While many brokers have dabbled cautiously in crypto, amana has committed fully—bridging both sides of the market. Users can buy into Bitcoin, trade Tesla shares, or hold a diversified ETF, all from a single dashboard.

It’s a hybrid model that works because it’s built with choice in mind. Whether someone’s chasing short-term trends or investing with a decade-long view, amana’s platform doesn’t funnel them down one path—it opens all of them.

Looking ahead, the roadmap is equally ambitious. AI-driven insights are on the way, offering smarter, more personalized support. Localization efforts are underway as the platform expands into new markets. But growth isn’t the endgame—redefining what a broker can be in MENA is.

“There’s a real shift happening in the region,” Sahota says. “People want financial tools that speak their language—literally and digitally. That’s where we come in.”

What makes amana compelling isn’t just what it’s built—it’s how it’s built. Quietly. Intentionally. With an understanding of the cultural, financial, and emotional contexts that define the MENA trading experience.

In a region where trust in financial systems hasn’t always come easy, creating something reliable isn’t just good tech—it’s a kind of service. A new baseline. A sign that a different kind of broker is not only possible, but already here.