Tabby Unaffordable Lending Complaints
A note before you start (5 August 2026): most BNPL lending only became FCA-regulated on 15 July 2026. For agreements taken out before that date the routes to a claim are limited — the affordability rules and the Financial Ombudsman's compulsory jurisdiction did not apply to BNPL activity (Zilch, regulated since 2020, is the exception). We are confirming with our claim partner exactly which BNPL agreements they can take on, and will update these pages once that is settled. Until then, please treat these pages as guidance on where complaints stand rather than an invitation to claim on a pre-regulation agreement.
Tabby is a Buy Now Pay Later operator that focuses on the Middle East and North Africa market — primarily Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. It is one of the largest BNPL providers in that region but does not have a substantial direct UK consumer offering. This page is for the small number of UK consumers who may have come into contact with Tabby through cross-border merchants or specific retail integrations, and explains where complaints stand.
Check your agreements on Recoup, our claim partner’s site
About Tabby
Tabby was founded in Dubai in 2019 and is now headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It operates a “shop now, pay later” service offering customers four interest-free monthly instalments on eligible purchases. By 2024, Tabby had reached around 14 million customers across MENA, with merchant relationships including Adidas, Amazon, H&M, IKEA and SHEIN. The company received its BNPL permit from the Saudi central bank (SAMA) in July 2023.
Tabby’s primary regulator is SAMA in Saudi Arabia. It does not hold UK FCA authorisation for consumer credit and is not principally a UK consumer-facing BNPL operator. UK customers occasionally encounter Tabby through global retailer partnerships or when shopping cross-border with MENA merchants.
UK regulatory position
Because Tabby is not a UK FCA-authorised consumer credit firm and does not principally operate in the UK consumer market, the framework for unaffordable lending complaints is constrained:
- CONC 5.2A — applies to FCA-authorised firms providing regulated credit in the UK. Where Tabby is not authorised in the UK and the transaction is governed by the customer’s home jurisdiction (typically Saudi Arabia or UAE), CONC may not apply.
- FOS — has compulsory jurisdiction over UK-authorised firms, not non-UK operators.
- Even from 15 July 2026, the new BNPL regulation captures third-party DPC lenders operating in the UK market — non-UK operators serving UK customers cross-border may or may not fall within the regime depending on the activity’s structure.
Where to take a Tabby complaint
For most Tabby-related issues:
- Direct complaint to Tabby’s customer service, in the first instance.
- For UAE customers, the UAE Central Bank has consumer protection oversight.
- For Saudi customers, SAMA regulates BNPL and has a consumer protection function.
- For UK customers, the relevant route depends on whether the transaction was governed by UK or non-UK law — typically the latter for direct Tabby agreements.
In practice, UK consumers are more likely to encounter the major UK-active BNPL operators (Klarna, Clearpay, PayPal Pay in 3, Zilch) than Tabby. Where a UK consumer has made a small Tabby purchase through cross-border arrangements, the practical complaint route is usually direct customer service rather than formal regulatory escalation.
For wider context
Buy Now Pay Later claims hub. For the regulatory framework, including the 15 July 2026 changes for UK-active BNPL, see BNPL and the new FCA rules from July 2026.
Related guides
- Buy Now Pay Later claims hub
- BNPL and the new FCA rules from July 2026
- How the Financial Ombudsman handles unaffordable lending complaints
- Do I have an unaffordable lending claim?
- How a claim works step by step
Check If You Could Be Owed Compensation
You may be eligible to complain if a lender gave you credit you couldn’t afford. Start a free check in minutes — no paperwork needed. No win, no fee if you choose to proceed.
