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Dubai, UAE, November 2026: Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye and South Asia (MENATSA) region, has announced the next phase of its National Digital Talent Incubator (NDTI)® program. The next phase, currently referred to as NDTI AI, which is evolving into an AI acceleration program focuses on helping established Emirati-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adopt practical AI solutions and achieve measurable business outcomes. The AI acceleration program will also be supported by industry leaders including DIFC Innovation Hub, Visa and AWS.
Building on NDTI’s work supporting Emirati entrepreneurs, the program marks a shift from a startup-focused incubator to hands-on support for SMEs that are already Emirates NBD customers. Working with each business, NDTI AI will identify high-value use cases and help transition from idea through experimentation towards production.
Each focused cohort is expected to include approximately four to five Emirati-owned SMEs selected from Emirates NBD’s SME customer base. Over time, the program is expected to run two cohorts a year, prioritising deeper engagement and measurable outcomes. The program will be discovery-led, with use cases tailored to participating businesses rather than drawn from a fixed set of solutions. Potential use cases span customer service, sales and marketing, workflow and document automation, financial management, compliance and forecasting.
Emirates NBD will lead program operations and SME selection, while DIFC Innovation Hub will support program design, ecosystem access and opportunities to showcase outcomes. The program will also be supported by AWS and Visa.
Rohit Garg, Group Head of Retail Products and Chief Digital Officer of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, said: “For SMEs, adopting AI starts with finding the right use cases and having access to the expertise and support to put them into practice. By bringing leading ecosystem partners together, NDTI AI will help business owners assess opportunities, test relevant solutions and move viable ideas towards implementation. This practical approach can help strengthen SME capabilities and competitiveness, while supporting broader AI adoption and the growth of a more innovative, diversified UAE economy. The program builds on our position as one of the region’s most advanced financial institutions in AI maturity, ranked first in the Evident AI Index for Banks in the Middle East and Africa.”
Mario Makary, UAE Country Manager, Visa, said: “AI is already reshaping how businesses operate, serve their customers and unlock new opportunities for growth. Through this collaboration with Emirates NBD and DIFC Innovation Hub, Visa will bring its payments expertise, innovation capabilities and understanding of evolving customer needs to help medium-sized enterprises turn promising AI use cases into practical, scalable solutions. By combining the strengths of our respective organisations, we can help businesses adopt AI responsibly and translate innovation into meaningful commercial outcomes.”
About Emirates NBD:
Emirates NBD (DFM: Emirates NBD) is a leading banking group in the MENATSA (Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye and South Asia) region with a presence in 13 countries, serving over 25 million active customers. As at 30th September 2026, total assets were AED 1.38 trillion, (equivalent to approx. USD 375.7 billion). The Group has operations in the UAE, Egypt, India, Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Russia and Bahrain and representative offices in China and Indonesia with a total of 1,399 branches and 4,967 ATMs / SDMs. Emirates NBD is the leading financial services brand in the UAE with a Brand value of USD 6.1 billion.
Emirates NBD Group serves its customers (individuals, businesses, governments, and institutions) and helps them realise their financial objectives through a range of banking products and services including retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, Islamic banking, investment banking, private banking, asset management, global markets and treasury, and brokerage operations. The Group is a key participant in the global digital banking industry with 97% of all financial transactions and requests conducted outside of its branches. The Group also operates Liv, the lifestyle digital bank by Emirates NBD, with close to half a million users, it continues to be the fastest-growing bank in the region.
Emirates NBD demonstrates leadership in sustainability by becoming the first bank globally to publish an IFRS S1 and S2-aligned report along with assurance of financed emissions and through the landmark issuance of the world’s first Sustainability-Linked Financing Sukuk by Emirates Islamic of USD 500 million fully aligned with ICMA guidelines. Emirates NBD continues to engage and support communities through its pioneering exchanger volunteer programme which completed 10 years in 2025 with over 160,000 hours contributed to social causes for over 1.1 million beneficiaries.
