Strategic, business-led approach to design sets QNB on a path to redefine modern banking in the Middle East
22 April, 2026 (Doha, Qatar) – Shift Partners, a global leader in strategic branding for financial services, today announced the successful completion of a landmark rebranding initiative for QNB, one of the Middle East’s largest financial institutions. This partnership marks the first time QNB has unified its entire card suite into a single, cohesive design system, signaling a shift from providing banking services to building emotional brand loyalty and becoming a lifestyle partner.
In an era where digital banking has replaced physical branch visits, the payment card- whether physical or stored in a digital wallet- remains the primary touchpoint between a bank and its customers. Shift’s design strategy for QNB leverages this reality to drive Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).
By treating the card as an aspirational object, the redesign addresses two critical business metrics. The first is customer acquisition. High-quality card aesthetics directly lift conversion rates in digital funnels, optimising acquisition costs that can run into hundreds of dollars per cardholder. The second metric is retention. Distinctive, premium designs create “top-of-wallet” status, increasing interchange fee revenue and reducing attrition, a phenomenon identified by several global banks who report lower cancellation rates of metal cards compared to plastic equivalents.
“For global financial institutions, design is no longer an aesthetic choice, it’s a lever for strategic value,” said Zoran Svetlitic, Partner at Shift “As consumer expectations shift, the mandate is to move beyond transactional banking to establish an integral presence in the customer’s daily financial life. Our work with QNB proves that a card can be a physical reminder of a relationship and we’re proud to bring our deep expertise to this project.”
“Today’s customers expect more than financial services, they expect seamless, intuitive experiences that reflect their evolving lifestyles. At QNB, we are continuously advancing our offerings to strengthen customer engagement and deliver greater value across every touchpoint. This unified card design represents an important step in our ongoing digital and brand transformation, bringing consistency, simplicity and more personalised experience to our customers across international markets. Our collaboration with Shift aligns with our ambition to remain a leading financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, while reinforcing our position as one of the region’s most valuable banking brands,” said Ms. Heba Al-Tamimi, Senior Executive Vice President, Group Communication at QNB.
The card design borrows from the curved arrows of the QNB logo, zooming in to a point of convergence in the centre of the card to create something simple, iconic, and unmistakably QNB. Unique patterns, custom printing techniques and tactile elements are used to denote type of card and tier.
The new card portfolio features a vertical orientation, reflecting the modern “tap-to-pay” reality of the contactless economy. To ensure the brand is accessible to all, the cards incorporate tactile elements, including varying shapes and strategic notches, allowing visually impaired customers to easily distinguish between card types.
This unified system also delivers significant operational efficiencies. By centralising the design language, QNB eliminates the need for individual regional branches to develop fragmented collateral, resulting in substantial cost savings across its international footprint.
Shift has been partnering with financial institutions on their strategic brand evolutions for nearly two decades. It continues to work with leading organisations around the world, with one-fifth of the world’s wealth now sitting with financial institutions who have entrusted their brands to Shift.
About Shift
Shift is a Singapore-based strategic brand consultancy with a distinct specialisation in the financial services sector. For nearly two decades, the firm has partnered with the world’s leading banks, wealth managers, and fintechs to navigate complex regulated markets and transform their market positioning. Today, one-fifth of the world’s wealth sits with financial institutions that have entrusted their brands to Shift. Combining deep industry fluency with creative rigour, the firm builds brands that drive measurable commercial outcomes and long-term stakeholder trust.
