• Hearing loop introduced in Jumeirah branch
  • Emirates NBD trains 36 branch managers and services ambassadors in American Sign Language (ASL)

Dubai: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, has launched major innovation-driven initiatives which enable self-service banking for people with disabilities (people of determination) in the UAE. Led by its flagship advocacy platform #TogetherLimitless, the bank continues to drive the financial inclusion of people with disabilities (people of determination) in the UAE with the aim to make Dubai a disability-friendly city by 2020.

Emirates NBD has introduced a Braille-enabled account opening service to empower its customers with visual disabilities in conducting independent transactions. The technology converts account opening forms and personal information into either English or Arabic Braille, and allows customers to independently review and provide consent on their experience, instead of relying on external assistance.

The bank has also piloted the implementation of a hearing loop in its Jumeirah branch to offer customers with hearing disabilities an improved and superior branch experience. A simple yet effective tool, the hearing loop cuts out unwanted distortions and noise to offer people with hearing aids an enhanced and more user-friendly branch experience. The bank also launched its first workshop to train thirty-six branch managers and service ambassadors in the basics of American Sign Language (ASL) with plans to conduct more over the course of this year.

Commenting on the initiatives, Husam Al Syed, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, Emirates NBD said:” While in 2017, we focused on the physical transformations of our branch, this year we are taking additional steps towards addressing the specific needs of our customers to offer a truly superior and inclusive banking experience. We are grateful to our partners and customers who have provided their expertise and feedback on our testing programmes, and will continue to implement innovation-driven initiatives to further the financial inclusion of people of determination within the UAE.”

Suvo Sarkar, Senior EVP & Group Head – Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD added: “Emirates NBD is committed to being the leading financially inclusive bank in the UAE as we continue to empower people of determination towards independence in their day-to-day financial lifestyles. Through our #TogetherLimitless programme, we have come a long way to enhancing the branch experience for people of determination in the country and going into 2018, will invest further in disability-friendly technologies which offer innovative and inclusive digital banking solutions for all our customers.”

As a digital-led bank, Emirates NBD has consistently leveraged innovative technology to further the customer experience of its customers with disabilities. Earlier this year, the bank became the first bank worldwide to pilot ‘KinTrans,’ a technology that enables easy two-way communication between sign language communicators with hearing disabilities, and people who use spoken languages.

Since its inception in 2015, the bank’s flagship advocacy platform for people with disabilities (people of determination), #TogetherLimitless has undertaken several initiatives for disability mainstreaming including launching the Careers Network to facilitate workplace inclusion of people with cognitive disabilities, opening twenty-five disability-friendly bank branches so far, promoting financial inclusion by offering Sanad card holders (privilege access card developed by CDA for people with disabilities) the Emirates NBD ‘Beyond from Personal Banking’ package, exempt of minimum salary as well as publishing a research report on the banking and financial habits and attitudes of people with disabilities (people of determination) in the UAE. It also runs a long-term social investment programme, PRIDE (People Receiving Independence and Dignity through Empowerment), for people with cognitive disabilities that runs activities of educational inclusion, capacity building, and public awareness.

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About Emirates NBD:

Emirates NBD is a leading banking Group in the region. As at 31st December 2017, total assets were AED 470.4 Billion, (equivalent to approx. USD 128 Billion). The Group has a significant retail banking franchise in the UAE and is a key participant in the global digital banking industry, with over 90 per cent of all financial transactions and requests conducted outside of its branches. The bank was declared the Most Innovative Financial Services Organization of the Year at the 2017 BAI Global Innovation Awards.

The bank currently has 230 branches and 1040 ATMs and SDMs in the UAE and overseas and a large social media following, being the only bank in the Middle East ranked among the top 20 in the ‘Power 100 Social Media Rankings’, compiled by The Financial Brand. It is a major player in the UAE corporate and retail banking arena and has strong Islamic Banking, Global Markets & Treasury, Investment Banking, Private Banking, Asset Management and Brokerage operations.

The Group has operations in the UAE, Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and representative offices in China and Indonesia.

The Group is an active participant and supporter of the UAE’s main development and community initiatives, in close alignment with the UAE government’s strategies, including financial literacy and advocacy for inclusion of People with Disabilities under its #Together Limitless platform. Emirates NBD Group is an official Premier Partner of EXPO 2020 Dubai. For more information, please visit: www.emiratesnbd.com

For further information on Emirates NBD, please contact:

Ibrahim Sowaidan
Senior Vice President

Head - Group Corporate Affairs
Emirates NBD
Telephone: +971 4 609 4113 / +971 50 6538937
e-mail: ibrahims@emiratesnbd.com

Tricia Kaul | Shaleen Sukthankar
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller; Dubai, UAE

Tel: 971-4-4507600; Fax: 971-4-4358040
Email: tricia.kaul@bm.com | shaleen.sukthankar@bm.com

© Press Release 2018