June 18: Dubizzle Group invests in Tern, makes rent rewards exclusive on Bayut and dubizzle

Dubizzle Group just moved rent from “painful monthly chore” to “rewardable digital transaction.” On June 18, 2026, the UAE classifieds giant announced a strategic partnership and investment in Tern, the UAE’s first-of-its-kind rental rewards platform, and said the Tern platform will be integrated exclusively into Bayut and dubizzle.

That exclusive deal is the whole point. Tenants can pay rent by credit card and earn “Tern Rewards” points redeemable across a network of retail, travel, and lifestyle merchants, and the company says this is “at no cost.” Meanwhile, Dubizzle frames the landlord angle as faster, fully digital rent collection, paired with a more flexible payment experience for tenants that could improve retention and make properties more appealing.

This is a smart pivot for Dubizzle Group because rent is one of the largest recurring household expenses in the region, yet the payment layer has historically offered little flexibility or added value. Tern’s pitch, as presented in the press release, is basically loyalty plus convenience, with no hidden fees or extra credit card premiums. In practice, that means the tenant gets to treat rent payment like another everyday loyalty activity. For the platforms, it means rent is no longer just “search and discovery,” it becomes part of an ongoing relationship across the property journey.

The company also positions this as “proptech footprint” expansion, but it is really a multi-sided marketplace play. The press release describes Tern as modernizing rent payment by building a multi-stakeholder loyalty network connecting tenants, landlords, banks, and merchants. That structure matters because rent payments are recurring and predictable, which can turn a once-a-month payment moment into a repeatable engagement channel. Merchants also get access to a captive audience of renters whose behavior is tied to housing decisions.

Tern is not brand new, even if it feels like a fresh idea. Founded in 2024 by Said Al Sayyed and Mohamad Shaitou and launched in May 2025, Tern has “over AED 150 million in annualized rent payment volume” flowing through its ecosystem, according to Dubizzle. That number is important because it suggests traction beyond pilots. It also hints at why Dubizzle is leaning in now: if rent payments are already moving through Tern, exclusivity into the Bayut and dubizzle distribution channels can accelerate user acquisition and volume.

Dubizzle is funding the deal through Dubizzle Group Ventures, the group’s dedicated venture capital arm focused on early-stage technology startups across the GCC. Surya Raviganesh, who leads Dubizzle Group’s investments, added that the firm is looking for founders building scalable, innovative business models creating “unique value around our property, automotive and consumer marketplaces.” The release also claims “Half the population of the UAE uses one of our platforms every month,” which is the kind of stat platforms use to justify why partnerships should come with distribution, not just capital.

The strategic logic is neatly aligned with how marketplaces usually win. Search brings demand, but payments create stickiness. By integrating Tern “exclusively” into Bayut and dubizzle, Dubizzle is trying to lock in a part of the rental workflow that competitors cannot easily replicate without platform access. The CEO of Dubizzle Group UAE, Haider Ali Khan, said the focus at Bayut and dubizzle goes beyond helping people find a home, because rent is a recurring challenge with limited flexibility. He also emphasized that Tern’s solution was led by a “clear vision” and a founding team Dubizzle calls exceptional, and that the partnership creates new opportunities for landlords and agents across the UAE.

Zoom out and the bigger question for executives is obvious: who owns the moment money moves? In many markets, payment rails become a durable competitive advantage, because they sit behind the user experience and influence incentives for every other party in the ecosystem. If Dubizzle can make rent payments faster and more rewarding for tenants while giving landlords and agents a digital collection flow, it could strengthen retention for both sides of the transaction, and potentially turn property portals into ongoing operating platforms. For other proptech, fintech, and marketplace operators across the GCC, the message is hard to ignore: the fight is shifting from listings to loyalty, from discovery to payment, and from one-time intent to recurring engagement.