Shuraa

About Shuraa

Shuraa is one of the UAE’s largest corporate service providers, helping entrepreneurs and businesses set up in both mainland and free zones for over 25 years.

From company formation and golden visa assistance to accounting, VAT, and corporate tax registration, Shuraa has long been a trusted partner in navigating the UAE’s regulatory ecosystem.

But internally, their own expense process didn’t reflect the ease and efficiency they delivered to clients.

The problem

4 banks. 11 cards. Too many teams. No control.
Before Alaan, Shuraa’s teams relied on 4 banks, 11 cards each, passed around across departments like PRO, admin, and marketing, with no way to track spend in real time.

Key challenges:

No visibility into who spent what:
With one card shared by multiple departments, there was no clear ownership of transactions. Finance had to constantly dig through statements and messages just to figure out the basics.

Manual reconciliation was draining time:
Receipts were submitted late or lost, and expense categorization had to be done manually, costing the finance team up to 5 hours every day.

OTP fatigue and payment delays:
Every online transaction meant chasing a new OTP. This slowed down teams and turned small operational expenses into major bottlenecks.

Marketing overspend without accountability:
Advertising was one of the biggest spend areas, but with everything going through the same card, it was hard to tell where to cut back or optimize.

“UAE banks don’t issue multiple cards for the same corporate account, so Shuraa’s finance team had to operate with 4 different banks, each issuing 11 corporate cards.”

The solution

A switch to visibility, control, and cash back

Shuraa’s finance team didn’t just need automation, they needed structure, accountability, and speed.
With Alaan, they found all three.

Here’s how Alaan helped:

Dedicated cards for every department:
Each team now has its own Alaan card, tied to a dedicated wallet with pre-set budgets and strict category controls. PRO cards can only be used for government payments, marketing cards are limited to ad platforms, nothing is left open-ended, and misuse is no longer a risk.

Real-time visibility and faster decisions:
Every expense shows up instantly on the dashboard. No more waiting till month-end or hunting for receipts. Finance can step in immediately if something looks off.

Automated reconciliation:
Receipts are uploaded in seconds via the Alaan app and tied to the transaction automatically.
No more matching screenshots to statements. Month-end close happens faster and more accurately.

2% cashback on ad spend:
With Alaan, every dirham spent earns unlimited 2% cashback, something Shuraa never got with traditional bank cards.

“If a PRO tries to make a non-government transaction, the card just declines it. It’s that simple and it’s saved us from so much misuse. Also the 2% cashback on international spend is something we never got with our bank cards.”

Conclusion

Before Alaan, Shuraa’s expense process was stuck in the past, shared cards, delayed approvals, and way too many manual steps.
Today, spend is structured, departments have clear ownership, and finance has real-time control.

From running after OTPs to instant clarity, Shuraa now operates with the same efficiency internally as they offer to their clients.