Awards for Excellence 2020
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Emirates NBD has excelled in all elements of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, from steps taken to protect the health of its employees to loan deferrals for its customers; but what really stands out is the bank’s commitment to its community.
With a lockdown in place and schools closed, the United Arab Emirates’ ministry of education launched online and distanced-learning initiatives for all its schools.
Emirates NBD demonstrated its commitment to education by donating Dh4 million ($1.09 million), along with group entity Emirates Islamic, to help provide laptops to UAE students.
The bank has also reached out to more disadvantaged members of its community and made a Dh4 million donation to a social solidarity fund against Covid-19 run by the Islamic affairs and charitable activities department in Dubai.
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Shayne Nelson |
Conscious of the impact of isolation on people during lockdown, Emirates has also supported its employees and the broader community. It is offering employees and their dependants access to a hotline service to qualified clinical counsellors to discuss mental wellbeing.
The bank has also created channels and tools for its customers to talk to it (and each other) through their favourite social messaging platforms and donated to the UAE’s ‘10 million meals’ campaign, which provides meals and food parcels to vulnerable individuals and families, as well as supporting volunteering efforts.
Digital banking has been at the heart of Emirates’ strategy under group chief executive Shayne Nelson, leaving it well placed to offer uninterrupted banking services throughout the lockdown. The bank earmarked an investment of Dh1 billion over three years for digital transformation.
In the month after UAE’s lockdown started, Emirates NBD’s corporate banking group saw a 60% month-on-month increase in onboarding volumes as new and existing transaction banking clients opted for digital channels for their cash management and trade finance requirements. Supported by the UAE government and central bank’s six-month stimulus package, Emirates has offered relief and interest payment holidays to its retail and corporate customers.
