How the world’s first SME super-platform, Peko, is leveraging Stitch for end-to-end card management

The SME sector accounts for 94% of the total number of companies operating in the UAE, according to the Ministry of Economy. The majority of these SMEs accept digital payments with nearly all of them recognizing the importance of shifting toward smarter, tech-enabled operations.

The traditional approach is for businesses to work with different vendors for different business requirements. But one player, Peko, is flipping the playbook.

Imagine a payments platform built for modern SMEs, offering virtual and physical cards, real-time expense tracking, deep integrations, and global ambitions. That’s Peko, a fresh fintech force serving customers around the world. They've built an all-in-one spend, expense, and operations platform for SMEs. Bill payments, corporate travel, accounting & tax, HR & payroll, and so much more, all baked into one powerhouse.

To deliver that vision globally at scale, they needed card infrastructure that’s compliant, scalable, and easy to work with.

The challenge

Peko’s product was bold, building an integrated toolbox for businesses, especially SMEs, to manage many non-core but essential functions from one place. Rather than having separate apps or vendors for each task, Peko aims to centralise:

• ‍Business setup & licensing: Helps entrepreneurs incorporate companies in the UAE, renew necessary licenses, and deal with regulatory or formal-legal steps needed to launch.‍
• Financial operations & payments: Bill payments, expense tracking, payments collection, and financial visibility tools. Includes automated reports and dashboards so you can see “what’s going on” with your finances.‍
• HR & payroll: Tools to manage payroll, leave, employee details, compliance, etc. Part of their suite for simplifying operational burdens.‍
• Travel / corporate travel support: Arranging travel services, bookings, with integrations so business travel becomes less of a headache.‍
• Subscriptions & digital tools: Managing software subscriptions, digital service tools, eSIM provisioning, communication tools (e.g. WhatsApp for Business) etc. This helps keep all the tools a business depends on under one roof.‍
• Compliance & reporting: Automatically generated reports, dashboards, ensuring adherence to regulations (including newer ones like workplace savings, EOSB, pension‐type frameworks) where relevant.

But the requirement for a scalable and compliant technology provider to power their cards was clear from day one.

• They needed a card management system that could be be globally scaled; with the ability to handle issuance, control, and reconciliation across geographies without legacy lag.
• They required a tech-first, non-legacy solution: everything from card lifecycle and expense tracking to reporting needed to be modern, agile, and built for scale.

Operating card programs without infrastructure built to scale risks falling short on performance, rising costs, and hitting limits when growth accelerates.

Why modern card infrastructure matters

Cards are not just plastic or virtual links to money. They’re control, insight, risk, and compliance, especially when businesses rely on them for expenses, payroll, subscriptions, and more. A rigid system cripples flexibility. A weak engine means costly delays.

In markets where regulation, fraud, and customer trust matter, modern architecture is business-critical.

Building the card backbone

With Stitch, Peko unlocked a scalable, end-to-end card management stack designed for global performance:

• Full card lifecycle management: Issuance, spend controls, virtual/physical cards, reconciliation; all managed through a unified system.
• Tech-first, non-legacy architecture: Stitch’s platform is built with APIs and modern cloud infrastructure to support cross-border card services without the drag of legacy debt.
• Scalable compliance and controls: As Peko grows across jurisdictions, the infrastructure supports regulatory, fraud prevention, and reporting demands without compromising agility.

“Cards are no longer an add-on, they're the infrastructure that powers business operations globally. Stitch gives us the foundation to issue, control, scale, and trust at a level where geography isn’t the limitation.” - Kashif Khan, Founder & CEO, at Peko.

Beyond deployment: Partnership that lasts

For fintechs and businesses scaling internationally, card management can either slow you down or set you apart. Peko’s partnership with Stitch proves that with the right infrastructure, cards become a growth driver, not a cost burden. With transparent pricing, tailored support, and a commitment that goes far beyond deployment, Stitch empowers Peko with the expertise and reliability needed to succeed in a fast-changing financial landscape.