The partnership is alive since 2017 and it claimed they are supporting start-ups to transform their ideas into working prototypes, resulting in numerous integrations. In 2020, Emirates NBD announced its integration with Norbloc, a global leader in blockchain KYC technology and participant of the 2017 FinTech Accelerator Programme, for the UAE KYC Blockchain Platform.

As part of its partnership with DIFC FinTech Hive, Emirates NBD was also a key partner of AccelerateHer, a female-focused career mentorship program targeted at developing young women in the industry professionally and personally.

Abdulla Qassem, Group Chief Operating Officer, Emirates NBD comments, “With the support of the DIFC FinTech Hive, Emirates NBD is constantly looking to discover and launch relevant FinTechs, who can help us accelerate our digital transformation journey and develop solutions that optimize not just customer experience but also our internal operations. We look forward to playing an active role in encouraging innovative partnerships in the UAE and the wider region and are excited to see further collaborations develop and thrive.”

Raja Al Mazrouei, Executive Vice President, DIFC Fintech Hive, said, “This year, Emirates NBD had access to a pool of 44 FinTech solutions and we are pleased to have hosted a pitch day for Emirates NBD to select the solutions they would like to take forward and work with. We look forward to continuing our fruitful partnership with the bank.”

Emirates NBD’s campaign, which ran earlier in the year in partnership with global digital payments leader Visa, rewarded customers for making the transition to contactless transactions and adopting different contactless payment methods. The three lucky customers who won BMW 520i’s through the campaign were Mr. Hamad Mohamed Abdulla Ahmad, Mr. Kareem Ahmed Mohammed Abdou Maduor, and Mr. Saleh Omran Mohammed Al Khayal Alteneiji. Besides the cars, other prizes that were up for grabs included 50 75-inch TVs and 200 iPhone 12s. The campaign offered customers the opportunity to earn entries every time they made a contactless payment using their Emirates NBD Visa Debit or Credit Card and enter a mega draw to win exciting prizes.

At Emirates NBD, contactless payments now make up 88% of all face-to-face card payment transactions. The bank saw contactless payment transactions, which include contactless card and mobile wallet-based payments rise by 59% year-on-year in 2020. Mobile wallet-based payments more than doubled during the period, while card tap and go-based payments increased by about half. The bank also saw e-commerce transactions increasing by 25% in 2020 over the previous year.