Egypt’s Nawy Acquires Dubai’s SmartCrowd To Expand Real Estate Tech Empire

Cairo-based real estate startup Nawy has acquired a majority stake in SmartCrowd, a Dubai-based platform that lets users invest fractionally in income-generating properties, as it sets its sights on the Gulf’s booming property market.

The deal, whose financial terms remain undisclosed, gives Nawy a strategic foothold in the UAE and signals its broader ambition to become a regional “super-app” for real estate.

It’s Nawy’s second acquisition this year, following its purchase of home-finishing startup ROA, now rebranded as Nawy Unlocked.

Backed by major investors like e& Capital, Partech, and March Capital, Nawy recently raised USD 75 M to fuel expansion and build AI-powered tools for buying, financing, and managing property.

Founded in 2019, the company claims over 1 million monthly users and more than USD 3 B in lifetime transaction volume.

SmartCrowd, founded in 2018, enables investors to buy fractional stakes in Dubai properties from as little as USD 150.00. Its platform has processed over USD 110 M in transactions and paid out USD 40 M in rental income and capital gains. Its short-term flipping product reports average returns of 30%.

“This acquisition opens the door to a more mature regulatory landscape and investor base,” said Mostafa El-Beltagy, Nawy CEO. SmartCrowd will remain independently led by CEO Riz Ahmed, now anchoring Nawy’s Gulf operations.

With this move, Nawy is betting that younger, tech-savvy investors across MENA want easier, lower-cost ways to access real estate wealth, without the paperwork or high barriers.