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Benefits of Digital Banking
For
Consumers
The move to digital banking is a welcome shift for the UAE’s consumers. With a 97% smartphone penetration, the highest in the world, the country’s young, tech-savvy population has a growing appetite for all things digital. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have become accustomed to organising their lives through smartphones, from entertainment and e-commerce to booking transport and grocery shopping. It’s no surprise, then, that demand for full-service digital banking solutions is also on the rise.
In a 2021 YouGov-backed survey, 89% of UAE consumers said they would opt for digital banking services, post-COVID, rather than visit a physical bank. While movement restrictions may have opened the door to digital banking, today’s consumers want more than simple day-to-day transactions and services. There’s a growing demand for more comprehensive and sophisticated banking solutions such as remote account openings, multi-currency accounts, cryptocurrency investment, and access to products like insurance and loans.
For
SMEs
For SMEs, which make up over 90% of the UAE’s total registered companies, digital banking can be a vital lifeline in the startup process. Companies are looking for convenient and user-friendly features tailored to their business size and requirements, with a more-support-less-admin approach from their bank of choice. Digital banking can offer SMEs fast, efficient banking, as well as support and guidance on all aspects of running a business, not just financial matters.
For
FinTech
Already a major global hub for FinTech startups, the UAE also provides the ideal infrastructure and environment for FinTech innovators looking to tap into the growth potential of digital banking technologies. Government initiatives such as the different visa programmes and the DIFC’s FinTech Fund are helping to drive the growth of FinTech by attracting investors and talent to the region.
As part of the National Innovation Strategy, other initiatives, such as the Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 and the Emirates Blockchain Strategy 2021, have further springboarded investments in emerging technologies, especially in the banking and finance sectors.
It’s predicted that by the end of 2022, over $2 billion in VC funding will be raised for more than 800 FinTech companies specialising in different banking tech segments such as payments, open banking, smart lending, blockchain and cybersecurity.