• Partnership with Cinema Akil to showcase homegrown brands and provide financial education
  • Visa Destinations to help residents discover neighborhood dining, lifestyle, and entertainment experiences

UAE, Dubai – Visa today announced a series of neighborhood-first initiatives designed to spotlight homegrown businesses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), combining storytelling, partnerships, on-ground activation, and digital discovery to help residents discover and connect with local merchants.

“The UAE is home to diverse neighborhoods and businesses that give the country its character,” said Salima Gutieva, Vice President and UAE Country Manager for Visa. “As local businesses navigate changing consumer habits and ongoing cost pressures, visibility and access to everyday demand are critical to long‑term resilience. Through these initiatives, Visa is helping connect residents’ everyday spending with the homegrown businesses that anchor our communities, combining discovery, partnerships, and payments to support sustainable growth beyond peak cycles.”

  

Spotlighting local businesses through Neighborhood Legends

At the heart of Visa’s neighborhood-first efforts is Neighborhood Legends, a content-led campaign celebrating homegrown businesses that give Dubai its distinctive character. The first phase focuses on three neighborhoods - Al Satwa, Al Quoz, and Al Barsha - with participating businesses spanning dining, retail, lifestyle, and creative services.

Through short-form interview content distributed across digital channels, the campaign gives business owners a platform to share their stories, passions, and ambitions, helping them stand out and connect with customers in their local communities. By encouraging residents to explore the neighborhoods around them, Neighborhood Legends aims to support awareness, engagement, and sustained interest in local businesses.

Showcasing homegrown brands through Cinema Akil partnership

As part of its neighborhood-first approach, Visa is partnering with Cinema Akil, the region’s only independent arthouse cinema, to bring the (Imperfect) Homegrown Guide to life through the (Imperfect) Homegrown Market, spotlighting UAE-based businesses. Taking place on June 6-7 at Warehouse 46, Alserkal Avenue, the market will feature a curated mix of homegrown brands, creating a space for discovery, connection, and community.

Visa will support participating merchants through on-ground engagement and a financial literacy session delivered with the International Trade Centre's SheTrades initiative, focused on payments, planning, and sustainable growth, alongside dedicated social amplification across Cinema Akil’s platforms. Originally launched in March 2026, the (Imperfect) Homegrown Guide will also evolve into a user-friendly online platform, reinforcing Visa’s commitment to supporting local businesses and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Visa Destinations Dubai supporting neighborhood discovery

Visa Destinations Dubai, which builds on Visa’s global travel platform, is bringing curated offers and discovery closer to home. A selected range of offers is now available to UAE Visa cardholders, with partnerships with aggregator platforms providing both visitors and locals access to homegrown and neighborhood businesses through exclusive dining, lifestyle, and entertainment offers.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.