Dubai: Last year HSBC reinforced it long term commitment to the UAE and the region when it moved its regional head office from Jersey to the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

The bank is currently moving full steam ahead with construction of its own office building at Emaar Square, Dubai.

“In 2018, we’ll have a new, purpose built, 20-floor home in the UAE. When visitors arrive under its sleek six metre high glass canopy they’ll be greeted by a pearl-themed interior designed to hint at the economic origins of the UAE: pearl fishing,” said Abdul Fattah Sharaf, UAE CEO of HSBC.

While bringing the sophistication of global financial services industry to the UAE, HSBC has been investing consistently on UAE nationals, preparing them to be key stakeholders in the industry.

“We recognise our Emiratisation strategy cannot stand still; we work continuously to refine it and identify new and creative ways to identify and select the best Emirati talent whilst also drawing on the best of HSBC’s global experience to develop our existing Emirati employees,” said Sharaf.

The bank has recently welcomed a new Group of 20 Emiratis into HSBC Graduate Programme. This is to provide talented graduates the opportunity to undertake a structured 2 year development programme with 4 x 6-month placements in teams and businesses which are of interest to them and help them build their career path.

While the bank has been successful in developing many talented UAE nationals to hold senior positions within the bank, many HSBC trained UAE nationals are currently holding senior positions, in the financial services, private sector, government and some of them even venturing to become successful entrepreneurs.

Sharaf said the banks’ commitment to the UAE goes beyond the financial services. “For 70 years we’ve been bringing our people, capital and ideas together to help wider UAE projects. In the 1950s we donated £500 (Dh2,308) to extend the Maternity Ward of Dubai’s first hospital. Today we are training the next generation of world class Emirati bankers who will help fund the UAE companies redefining international health care standards,” he said.

Digital future

In new banking technology and digital banking, the bank is at the forefront of bringing the best to the UAE, said Sharaf.

“Any investment we make — whether in technology, products or people — is driven by our goal to help our customers meet their life goals. Key to this is financial planning, saving for retirement and children’s education and we have focused on launching digital platforms that allow customers to spend money on what they want and remain conscious of saving at the same time,” he said.

“Through the HSBC Entertainer App in the UAE — a “buy one, get one free” incentive app, we helped over 73,000 customers save $15.4 million since its launch in 2014. Our app provided customers with over 518,000 dining, entertainment and travel experiences across 8,000 partnering merchants in the region.” added Sharaf.

While deploying technologies to enhance customer experience and savings in their spending, the bank is focused on customer security. “Our customers’ security is of paramount importance and given our global scale, we have leveraged best practices to create the most secure banking platform, without being obtrusive,” he said.