Emirates NBD First in MENA to Deploy OpenAI Sovereign AI

Emirates NBD, a prominent banking group in the MENATSA region, has announced an enterprise collaboration with OpenAI.

This partnership will enable Emirates NBD to become the first bank in the MENA region to deploy OpenAI's GPT models through an in-country inference infrastructure located in the UAE.

Banks operate in a strictly regulated environment where security and compliance are critical. Utilising in-country inference allows financial institutions to employ advanced AI while remaining compliant with local data privacy and operational resilience regulations, marking a significant advancement for sovereign AI capabilities in the UAE's financial sector.

Accelerating Enterprise AI Adoption

Emirates NBD plans to implement OpenAI's models in several business areas, focusing on enhancing customer engagement through digital channels, supporting risk and compliance via advanced analytics, automating workflows, and improving employee productivity.

The integration of OpenAI’s models with the Bank's internal systems and enterprise data aims to accelerate new digital service development, enhance customer personalisation, boost productivity, and strengthen risk monitoring and financial crime controls.

Additionally, the deployment advances the UAE's vision for world-class AI infrastructure and responsible AI adoption across key sectors. It is in line with the UAE’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and highlights the emergence of sovereign AI capabilities that facilitate the deployment of advanced AI while adhering to local governance and regulatory standards.

Emirates NBD x OpenAI: Transforming Banking Through AI

Group Chief Digital and Information Officer at Emirates NBD, Miguel Rio-Tinto, emphasised the central role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the future of banking.

He highlighted the bank's collaboration with OpenAI, which enables the integration of advanced AI capabilities into their operations, allowing for swift innovation while ensuring governance, security, and regulatory compliance. He stated that AI is a fundamental capability that will shape the way they build, serve, and scale their services.

Likewise, Head of Enterprise at OpenAI MENA, Farouk El Hamzawi, praised Emirates NBD for establishing a benchmark in secure and responsible AI deployment for financial institutions.

Notably, he expressed pride in supporting the bank's ambitions using OpenAI models and tools, stressing regulatory compliance and the goal of enhancing productivity, innovation, and customer experiences through their partnership.

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Emirates NBD

Emirates NBD (DFM: Emirates NBD) is a prominent banking group operating in the MENATSA (Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye, and South Asia) region, active in 13 countries and catering to over 25 million customers as of June 30, 2026. The bank's total assets reached AED 1.3 trillion (approximately USD 354 billion).

Its operations span the UAE, Egypt, India, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the UK, Austria, Germany, Russia, and Bahrain, supported by 1,425 branches and 4,948 ATMs/SDMs. Emirates NBD holds the title of the leading financial services brand in the UAE, with a brand value of USD 6.1 billion.

In addition, Emirates NBD Group provides a variety of banking products and services to individuals, businesses, governments, and institutions, helping them meet their financial goals. It participates significantly in the digital banking sector, with 97% of transactions occurring outside of branches.

Besides, it operates Liv, a lifestyle digital bank with nearly half a million users, making it the fastest-growing bank in the region.

In essence, Emirates NBD leads in sustainability by being the first bank to publish an IFRS S1 and S2-aligned report, ensuring assurance of financed emissions. It also issued the world’s first Sustainability-Linked Financing Sukuk of USD 500 million, adhering to ICMA guidelines.

Furthermore, the bank has supported communities through its exchanger volunteer programme, marking 10 years in 2025 with over 160,000 hours donated to social causes benefiting more than 1.1 million individuals.

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