Emirates NBD has announced a strategic partnership with Dubai Future District Fund (DFDF) to drive fintech and AI innovation and improve customer experience, according to a statement on Emirates NBD’s media centre.
Under the partnership, both organisations will jointly source, pilot, and adopt technology-driven solutions aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of financial services for Dubai’s residents.
DFDF is Dubai’s AED 1 billion evergreen venture capital fund of funds, anchored by the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Dubai Future Foundation, with a mandate to fund early-stage startups shaping the future of finance.
The partnership gives Emirates NBD access to a curated pipeline of enterprise-grade fintech and AI solutions, alongside structured pilots and potential commercial deployments with DFDF’s portfolio companies.
The bank said it will focus on areas aligned with its broader digital transformation agenda, including AI-driven banking capabilities, embedded finance, digital assets, SME solutions, WealthTech, compliance technology, and next-generation banking infrastructure.
Emirates NBD’s own Dubai Fintech Summit 2025 report projects UAE’s fintech market will nearly double from USD 3.16 billion in 2024 to USD 5.71 billion by 2029.
Marwan Hadi, Group Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, said the partnership will deliver more personalised and intelligent banking experiences, faster deployment of digital banking capabilities, and improved fraud detection.
He said it also reinforces the bank’s commitment to national talent development through its National Digital Talent Incubator (NDTI), which supports Emirati entrepreneurs building fintech, AI, and digital commerce ventures.
Nader Albastaki, Managing Director at DFDF, said the collaboration is “a testament to our shared vision for a future where innovation drives progress,” giving DFDF’s portfolio startups an opportunity to pilot and commercially deploy their solutions within Emirates NBD’s ecosystem.
A Bank With Regional Scale
Emirates NBD operates across 13 countries in the MENATSA region, serving more than 25 million active customers with total assets of AED 1.3 trillion (about USD 354 billion) as of 30 June 2026.
The group runs 1,425 branches and 4,948 ATMs and self-service machines, and says 97% of all financial transactions and requests now happen outside its branches.
It also operates Liv, its standalone digital bank, which has grown to close to half a million users.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News UAE based on an image by Emirates NBD via its website.
