Advice needed: Ziina holding 7,000+ AED of business funds for 120 days after account termination
Hi everyone, reaching out here to see if anyone has dealt with a similar situation with Ziina.
I’m a business consultant here in Dubai. Recently, a client paid me 7,044 AED via Ziina links (split into 3 payments because they couldn't do it in one go).
As soon as I tried to cash out to my company bank account, the trouble started. Ziina asked for proof of delivery/service. I explained it's an upfront payment for a government-related process (I can't start the work without the funds). I provided:
- Invoices and Quotations
- Full chat history with the client
- Full KYC (Emirates ID front/back + selfie with ID)
Despite providing everything, they terminated my account and told me they will hold the funds for 45 to 120 days.
The most frustrating part:
- Upon requesting clarification regarding the account termination, they stated that they were “unable to disclose the specific details or internal criteria associated with the determination.”
- They refuse to hop on a phone call ("communication is through chats only").
- They refuse an in-person meeting ("no in-office customer support").
They won't even refund the money back to the client so I can collect it via bank transfer.
I’m now in a position where I can’t start the client's work, and my capital is sitting in a "review" limbo despite me being a fully verified UAE resident and business owner.
Has anyone successfully escalated a case like this? I’m preparing a formal complaint for Sanadak (Central Bank Ombudsman) and Dubai Economy (DET), but it's shocking that a UAE-based fintech can lock business funds like this with zero human interaction.
Tagging u/ZiinaMENA for a resolution.