Emirates NBD launches a talent incubator program in partnership with DIFC

Emirates NBD, a Dubai-based, government-owned bank, launched a new initiative called the National Digital Talent Incubator program.

The program was launched in partnership with the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC). Through it, Emirates NBD hopes to cultivate the next generation of talent in the fintech sector in the UAE. The program will use DIFC’s venture-building platform, known simply as Launchpad. It is also worth noting that it is supported by an entire network of other tech partners, such as Dell Technologies, Microsoft, and Visa.

According to the company, the new program will run two cohorts per year. Each of them will consist of three to six fintech startups. However, the catch is that the founders and members of the startup must be UAE nationals.

The program will last for eight weeks at a time, allowing participants to gain insight into venture building and connect to innovation experts who work at DIFC Launchpad. Participants will even be able to get one-to-one coaching sessions and mentorship from founders of top UAE fintech scaleups, plus access to corporations, governments, and even the capital in the UAE.

What makes Emirates NBD’s incubator program different from the others?

Emirates NBD’s group chief digital and information officer, Miguel Rio Tinto, stated that most incubator programs out there focus only on driving product innovation. While this is an important part of the incubation, it is only a part of the process. On the other hand, Emirates NBD came up with a different idea for its National Digital Talent Incubator program.

He added that the program “stands out as it has been designed to enable participants to broaden their skillset, network, and influence, to better understand key trends shaping the economy and create businesses that significantly impact the local and global economy. We are providing participants with a toolkit to translate their ideas into impactful innovations and the support to grow them to scale.”

Abdulla Quassem, Emirates NBD’s group chief operating officer, added that the bank is extremely pleased to launch the program in collaboration with DIFC, which is the bank’s long-time partner.

Emirates is in a unique position to champion innovation and contribute toward growing the national digital economy, thanks to its status as the leading local bank. Qassem added that the bank is confident about the new incubator program and its ability to help catalyze economic development and innovation in the financial services industry and the UAE economy as a whole.