Etihad Salam Telecom Company has launched SOHO, an integrated digital ecosystem tailored for Saudi Arabia’s growing community of over two million freelancers. Announced at LEAP 2026, the initiative combines Salam’s connectivity with fintech solutions from HALA and e-commerce tools from Zid. By collaborating with FutureWork to validate freelance licences, Salam provides a unified platform for business accounts, payment processing, and online store management, offering independent professionals the essential infrastructure needed to scale their operations effectively.
The launch is part of Salam’s evolution from providing connectivity/products to delivering a broader digital experience for the freelancer segment, working with specialist partners to build the services that Saudi Arabia’s freelancers use to run and grow their businesses. SOHO puts professional-grade tools within reach by offering the complete ecosystem at better value than freelancers would pay for sourcing infrastructure individually.
Freelancers and independent professionals are a growing part of Saudi Arabia’s economy, with more than two million individuals registered on official freelance platforms in Saudi Arabia. What helps them grow at the same pace is ready access to connectivity and a services-in-a-box that brings finance and digital commerce together, and this is what Salam is championing. For the initiative, Salam is collaborating with Future Work, a national company that strengthens Saudi Arabia’s freelance ecosystem by enabling freelancer license validation, supporting flexible work models, and driving labormarket innovation.
Amr El Dessouky, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Salam said: “The SOHO segment is where much of the Kingdom’s freelance economy is being built, and until now it has been served by tools designed either for large enterprises or for consumers. Salam is championing this segment by assembling both the digital infrastructure and the services ecosystem an independent business needs from its first day. HALA and Zid are the first partners in that ecosystem, and more will follow. This is what it means to power what’s next: assembling the ecosystem that makes ambition operational.”
In addition, Salam is bringing HALA and Zid together to offer freelancers a business account, a way to accept payments, and an online store from the first day of trading, so the essentials of cash flow and reaching customers are in place from the start. Through the partnership with HALA, freelancers gain a dedicated IBAN account, debit cards, and the ability to accept payments in person and online, which gives them clearer cash flow and full visibility of their transactions.
Yasser Al Mussirii, CEO of HALA Payments said: “HALA has long been committed to empowering freelancers with professional payment solutions that enable them to receive and manage their payments with greater ease, efficiency, and confidence. Our partnership with Salam builds on this foundation, bringing together HALA’s payment capabilities with Salam’s telecom solutions to create a stronger, more connected experience for freelancers. By combining professional payments with essential connectivity, we are enabling independent professionals to work, get paid, and grow through solutions designed around the way they operate. This partnership marks another step forward in building an ecosystem that empowers freelancers to operate professionally and unlock greater opportunities in the digital economy.”
The partnership with Zid lets freelancers build an online store and manage sales through one platform, so the technical work of reaching customers is handled for them.
Identifying the underserved niche segment of freelancers and assembling the right partners around its specific needs, Salam has created an end-to-end unified digital experience where banking and commerce flow as one seamless customer journey. Working with Future Work to enable Freelance Work Certificate verification, and bringing together specialized partners including HALA for financial services and Zid for e-commerce capabilities, Salam is building an integrated ecosystem around the evolving needs of freelancers and independent professionals. Working with Future Work to enable Freelance Work Certificate verification, and bringing together specialized partners including HALA for financial services and Zid for e-commerce capabilities, Salam is building an integrated ecosystem around the evolving needs of freelancers and independent professionals.
