Agreement aims to facilitate payment plans for students and motivate potential candidates to enhance their academic experiences and to develop their professional skills

Dubai, 28 May 2014: Cass Business School, City University London, announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) as part of its broader strategy to support its students, and to contribute to the overall academic development in the region.

The MoU will bring the '0% Easy Payment Plan', which allows students to fund their tuition fees in interest free instalments with NBAD's credit cards, that can be paid over a period of three, six or 12 months at no extra charge.

Ehsan Razavizadeh, Regional Director, MENA and Head of the Dubai Centre said: "Our agreement with NBAD is part of our endeavour to partner with leading businesses in order to enhance our student experience. Students can now enjoy a more flexible way to finance their studies. As an established leader in the academic sector, we constantly seek to support our students for the overall benefit of the community and to facilitate the development of the knowledge-based economy."

As Dubai rapidly evolves into one of the world's leading regional trade hubs, it is being recognised for its significant efforts to create a knowledge-based economy built on a culture of education and innovation. In this economic landscape, education and skills-development are key. Through their academic programmes, Cass Business School, City University London aims to contribute to the creation of a knowledge-based economy in the UAE and wider region.

Navneet Dave, Director - Card Business of NBAD said: "We are delighted to expand our partnership to Cass Business School, City University London; the leading global academic institution. This partnership will provide students great flexibility and convenience to finance their studies."

The Dubai Centre was established in 2007 in collaboration with Dubai International Financial Centre, as a regional centre of educational excellence for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).  The Centre operates as a not-for-profit venture. It offers the internationally acclaimed Cass Executive MBA (EMBA), tailor-made executive education, business services including consulting and high profile networking events and MSc programmes in Aviation.  The EMBA offers MENA-based executives and professionals the opportunity to combine demanding work schedules with study near their home and work environments. The programme also attracts students from as far afield as Singapore, the USA and Azerbaijan.  It was the world's first EMBA programme to offer specialist Islamic finance and energy modules and students can choose to specialise in entrepreneurship, finance or general management.  The quality of education is guaranteed with London-based faculty flying in to provide the programme:  www.cass.city.ac.uk/dubaicentre.

Cass Business School in London is part of City University London.  Located in the heart of one of the world's leading financial centres, Cass is the business school for the City of London.  It delivers innovative, relevant and forward-looking education, consultancy and research.  Cass offers one of the widest portfolios of specialist Masters programmes and has the largest faculties of Finance and Actuarial Science & Insurance in Europe. It is ranked in the top 10 UK business schools for business, management and finance research with leading research centers in areas including Mergers and Acquisitions and Pensions.  Entrepreneurship is another strength with Cass's Peter Cullum Centre for Entrepreneurship, venture capital fund and sector research.  The 2013 Financial Times EMBA rankings placed Cass fifth in the UK and 14th in Europe.  The School is in the top one per cent of business schools worldwide to have received the gold standard of 'triple-crown' accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).  It has a strong alumni network of over 35,000, which extends worldwide across a wide variety of companies and professions: www.cass.city.ac.uk.

City University London is a global University committed to academic excellence, with a focus on business and the professions and an enviable central London location.  It is in the top five per cent of universities in the world according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2013/14 and in the top thirty universities in the UK according to the Times Higher Education Table of Tables 2012. It is ranked in the top 10 in the UK for both graduate-level jobs (The Good University Guide 2014) and in the top 5 for graduate starting salaries (Lloyds Bank).

The University attracts over 17,000 students (35% at postgraduate level) from more than 150 countries and academic staff from over 50 countries.  Its academic range is broadly-based with world leading strengths in business; law; health sciences; engineering; mathematical sciences; informatics; social sciences; and the arts including journalism and music. The University's history dates back to 1894, with the foundation of the Northampton Institute on what is now the main part of City's campus. In 1966, City was granted University status by Royal Charter and the Lord Mayor of London was invited to be Chancellor, a unique arrangement that continues today. Professor Paul Curran has been Vice-Chancellor of City University London since 2010:

www.city.ac.uk.

The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) has one of the largest networks in the UAE, with an expanding network of 125 branches and cash offices and more than 585 ATMs across the country. NBAD's growing international network consists of about 60 branches and offices in 18 countries stretching across five continents from the Far East to the Americas, giving it the largest global network among all UAE banks. 

Since 2009, NBAD has been ranked consecutively as one of the World's 50 Safest Banks by the prestigious Global Finance magazine, making NBAD the safest bank in the Middle East. NBAD is rated senior long term/short term AA-/A-1+ by Standard & Poor's (S&P), Aa3/P1 by Moody's, AA-/F1+ by Fitch, A+ by Rating and Investment Information Inc (R&I) Japan, and AAA by RAM (Malaysia) , giving it one of the strongest combined rating of any  Global  financial institution.

A comprehensive financial institution, NBAD offers a range of banking services including retail, investment and Islamic banking services. NBAD grows strategically toward its vision to be recognised as the World's Best Arab Bank: www.nbad.com.

For more information, please contact:
Dina Samhout
Bell Pottinger
Email: dsamhout@bell-pottinger.co.uk
Tel: +971 555597394

© Press Release 2014