Emirates NBD joins Dubai fund to bring more AI and FinTech solutions to banking

Dubai: Emirates NBD has partnered with the Dubai Future District Fund (DFDF) to identify and test new artificial intelligence and FinTech technologies that looks to change how customers use banking services.

The strategic partnership will see the bank and DFDF jointly source, identify, pilot and potentially adopt technology-driven solutions aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of financial services.

The initiative will give Emirates NBD access to a pipeline of enterprise-grade FinTech and AI solutions developed by startups in DFDF's portfolio.

The partners will also explore strategic partnerships with startups and structured pilot projects, with the possibility of moving successful solutions into commercial use.

The partnership comes as the UAE's FinTech market is projected to nearly double from $3.16 billion in 2024 to $5.71 billion by 2029, according to figures cited by Emirates NBD.

For customers, the bank said the work could lead to more personalised banking services, faster rollout of digital services, improved fraud detection and security, better SME banking solutions and simpler onboarding.

Marwan Hadi, Group Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, said: “By partnering with DFDF, we anticipate delivering more personalised and intelligent banking experiences, faster deployment of digital banking capabilities, improved fraud detection and financial security, enhanced SME and business banking solutions and seamless onboarding services.”

How the partnership will work

DFDF will provide Emirates NBD with access to startups in its portfolio, allowing the bank to identify companies whose technology matches its requirements.

Selected startups will be able to test their products with Emirates NBD and potentially move to commercial agreements if the pilots are successful.

DFDF is Dubai's Dh1 billion evergreen venture capital fund of funds, anchored by the Dubai International Financial Centre and Dubai Future Foundation. It invests in startups working in financial services and other future-economy sectors.

Nader Albastaki, Managing Director at DFDF, said the partnership would give its startups opportunities for “pilot opportunities, strategic partnerships and commercial deployment within Emirates NBD’s extensive ecosystem”.