DUBAI, 26th April, 2017 (WAM) -- Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the region, has signed a Premier Partnership agreement with Expo 2020 Dubai to become its Official Banking Partner.

The partnership marks Emirates NBDs long-term commitment to supporting the growth and development of the UAE, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

The partnership agreement was signed by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, and Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Emirates NBD Group.

Emirates NBD will be the exclusive onsite banking partner, providing ATM machines and an onsite Bank of the Future, where the UAE-based banking group will offer a variety of services to visitors, participants and organisers, such as merchant account operations, Islamic banking and foreign exchange services.

Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai, said, "The banking sector is changing at an incredible rate, from the boom in online, telephone and banking apps to the latest technology being used to enhance the branch experience.

"Emirates NBD has been at the forefront of this transformation, as illustrated by its futuristic branch at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, part of Dubai Future Foundations prestigious Museum of the Future, where people can see first hand how banking is evolving.

"As such, the group will play a key role in ensuring that banking services at Expo 2020 Dubai are at the forefront of innovation, while meeting the needs of every customer."Also welcoming the partnership, Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim said: "As a home-grown bank of the UAE and a market leader in the countrys banking sector, we are truly honoured to be the official banking partner of a national initiative on the scale of Expo 2020 Dubai.

"We recognise the value of collaboration across cultures in generating sustainable solutions to global problems, and are delighted to support Dubais Expo core vision of Connecting Minds; Creating the Future.

"At Emirates NBD, we believe innovation is key to the countrys future growth, and we are committed to leveraging digital innovation and adopting smart technologies to create a superior banking experience for our customers. We believe Expo 2020 Dubai will be an opportunity to further demonstrate what the UAE is achieving in business innovation and global best practice."With assets of close to AED 450 billion (US$122.5 billion), the banks operations have grown outside of the UAE to include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the United Kingdom, as well as representative offices in India, China and Indonesia.

The bank is a significant employer with more than 10,000 people representing 70 nationalities, making Emirates NBD one of the largest and most culturally diversified employers in the UAE.

As a Premier Partner, Emirates NBD joins DP World, Emirates Airline, Etisalat, SAP and Siemens in the top tier of the Expo partnership programme.

Through its main theme, Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, Expo 2020 Dubai will provide a platform to encourage creativity, innovation and collaboration and the banks passion for innovation and unlocking opportunity is also aligned with Expo 2020 Dubais key themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.

Emirates NBD has underlined this with its investment of AED500 million (US$136 million) over the next three years towards digital innovation and multichannel transformation of its processes, products and services.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2017.