Abdulla Ali (left), Kunooz millionaire for July receives the winner's cheque from Saeed Bin Mejren, Zone Manager - Dubai at Dubai Bank

Dubai, July 21, 2010: Dubai Bank today announced the results of its Kunooz monthly cash prize draw for the month of July, naming Abdulla Ali and Dana Mohamed, joint account holders at the bank’s Jumeirah Beach Residence branch as the lucky winners. The winners received the cheque of AED 1,000,000 from Saeed Bin Mejren, Zone Manager - Dubai at Dubai Bank.

“We are pleased to announce the latest winners of the Kunooz monthly cash prize promotion,” said Bin Mejren. “Since the launch of this programme early last year, we have seen increasing interest from our customers in the Kunooz Value Plus account. As a unique savings product, Kunooz not only offers optimal value for your savings and investments but also delivers a range of benefits. The Shari’a-compliant nature of the account along with the benefits of channeling savings in a simple and prudent manner will continue to be richly rewarding for our customers.”

Under the Kunooz monthly cash prize promotion, each multiple of AED 1,000 deposited in the Kunooz Account qualifies the customer for multiple entries into the draw for daily cash prizes of AED 30,000. For every multiple of AED 5,000 deposited, account holders become eligible for entry into the monthly grand prize draw of AED 1 million. The programme also offers participants the possibility to win more than once.

Shekhar Krishnamurthy, Head of Retail Assets and Liabilities, Emirates NBD

Dubai, July 20, 2010: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced today the launch of FlexiDeposits, an innovative product that allows customers to make partial withdrawals from their fixed deposit, while still keeping the rest of the deposit intact. The new initiative has been launched with the objective to offer customers the comfort of flexibility, security and high returns, all together in one fixed deposit offering.

“Liquidity and cash flow become significant issues for clients, when their money is tied up for extended periods of time in fixed deposits,” said Shekhar Krishnamurthy, Head of Retail Assets and Liabilities, Emirates NBD. “This is most evident during times of financial emergencies, when people are forced to break their fixed deposits and derail their savings plans. The new initiative from Emirates NBD encourages customers to continue with their long-term savings plans, while at the same time offering them innovative solutions to provide for their short-term requirements.”

“Emirates NBD’s primary focus is on customer convenience and we work closely with our clients to ensure that our products and services are tailored to suit their specific requirements,” said Vikram Krishna, Head, Group Marketing, Emirates NBD. “FlexiDeposits is another landmark concept that offers customers the liberty to save for the future while at the same time giving them the confidence that they can access their money in time of need.” 

FlexiDeposits, which require a minimum deposit amount of AED100,000 or its equivalent, is available in the four major currencies – the UAE dirham, the US dollar, the British pound or the euro. Deposits must be for a minimum tenor of six months, while the maximum term can extend to a period of three years.

Partial withdrawals from a FlexiDeposit can be made in multiples of AED 10,000. The frequency of the withdrawals is unlimited, thus facilitating clients to fulfil their savings plans, while giving them the confidence that their money is both easily accessible and offers profitable returns.

Emirates NBD sponsors Dubai International Arabian Race Day at Newbury Racecourse

Dubai, July 19, 2010: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced today its sponsorship of the Dubai International Arabian Race Day, at Newbury Racecourse in the UK. Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, the Dubai International Arabian Race Day is organised by the Arabian Racing Organisation, the sole Arabian Racing Authority in the UK, operating with the support and permission of the British Horseracing Authority.

Only Arabian horses can participate in the races at this event, which is often termed the Arabian equivalent of Royal Ascot and attracts thousands of horse racing enthusiasts from across the UK.

“Horse racing is close to the hearts of Arabs, and Emirates NBD is proud to be associated as a key sponsor of this annual event at Newbury” said Sulaiman Al Mazroui, General Manager, Group Corporate Communications, Emirates NBD. “Arabian racing is a relaxed alternative to thoroughbred racing, and provided us with an excellent platform to demonstrate our commitment to our clients.”

Emirates NBD’s London branch hosted its VIP clients at the Dubai International Arabian Race Day, offering them a variety of onsite entertainment and leisure activities.

“At Emirates NBD, we are on the lookout for every opportunity to support our clients by offering them value-added services,” said Saif Al Mansoori, Deputy Head, Group Marketing, Emirates NBD. “Our London branch offers full-fledged Corporate, Private Banking, Priority Banking and cash management services, tailored to meet the needs of our loyal UK-based clients.”.

Emirates NBD inaugurate it's branch in Al Ain

Abu Dhabi, July 13, 2010: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced the opening of its new branch in Al Ain, situated in close proximity to the popular Al Bawadi Mall, a recent development consisting of close to 400 shops, heritage souk, cinema and entertainment centre. 

The new branch is intended to meet the needs of visitors to the mall as well as residents of the surrounding area. It is strategically located six Kilometres to the southeast of the town centre in Al Quas Souk, Mazyad Road and branch will serve a population of approximately 70,000 who live in the locality. The communities closest to the branch are Mazyad, Um Ghafa and Al Dhaher.

Emirates NBD operates a total of 14 branches and 48 ATMs & CDMs in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain, which is in line with its ongoing programme of strategic expansion across the UAE.

“We are pleased to announce the opening of this branch in this prominent location in Al Ain,” said Jamal Bin Ghalaita, Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Emirates NBD. “At Emirates NBD, we are pursuing our retail banking growth plans with great vigour, continuously expanding our branch network, growing our customer base and launching new products and services. Today’s announcement is in line with our focus this year to expand our reach across the UAE and be more accessible to our customers in Al Ain.”

“The opening of our new Al Bawadi Mall branch is part of Emirates NBD’s strategy of being conveniently close to the places where our customers live, work, and spend their leisure time,” said Abdulelah AlKindy, General Manager, Retail Banking, Emirates NBD. “Today’s announcement signifies another step in or efforts to cater to the personal and business banking needs of our customers in Al Ain. This fast-growing city is an important part of Emirates NBD’s UAE-wide presence.”

The new Al Bawadi Mall branch will be open from 8AM to 2PM Saturday to Thursday, and is in addition to the ATM and CDM (cash deposit) machine conveniently situated inside the mall for customers ease and convenience.

Saif Al Mansoori, Deputy Head - Group Marketing, Emirates NBD

Dubai, July 12, 2010: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced today that customers applying for Personal, Priority or Business banking products or services at either of the Emirates NBD branches located in Uptown Mirdiff or Emaar Business Park will have several opportunities to win a “Stay for two” at the Jal Fujairah Resort and Spa. The special customer promotion is valid throughout the month of July at both the Mirdiff and Emaar Business Park branches.

Emirates NBD offers the full range of personal banking services at both its Emaar Business Park and Mirdiff branches, including savings and current accounts, personal and auto loans, personal overdrafts, cash deposits, credit cards, fixed deposits, withdrawals, cheque clearing, telegraphic transfers, foreign currency exchange and insurance products. Each of these full-fledged branches also provides access to two ATMs and a CDM in the area.

The Emaar Business Park branch will also focus on offering a full range of business banking services for SMEs located in the area. In keeping with the profile of the clientele in Uptown Mirdiff, the branch also provides access to Priority Banking services.

“Customer convenience is our primary focus at Emirates NBD, and we try to enhance the banking experience for our customers through offering them value-added benefits,” said Saif Al Mansoori, Deputy Head – Group Marketing, Emirates NBD. “Services offered by our various branches are tailored to meet the needs of the community in which they are located, so that customers can readily fulfill all their banking requirements at a branch close to their residence and at a time of their convenience.”

Operational hours at the Emaar Business Park branch located in Building No 3 are from 9 AM to 4 PM Sunday to Thursday, while the Uptown Mirdiff branch operates from 8 AM to 8 PM Saturday to Thursday.

EastNets-Bank of Jordan

Dubai – UAE - July 11, 2010  EastNets, a leading provider of global compliance and payment solutions and services, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Capital Bank of Jordan to provide watchlist filtering and anti-money laundering control solutions (en.SafeWatch Filtering and en.SafeWatch Profiling). The agreement was signed on July 1, 2010, during a ceremony held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman.

Haytham Kamhiyah, General Manager, Capital Bank, said: “We decided to develop our current systems by adopting a new solution which is able to keep pace with developments taking place in the area of compliance, and is in line with the requirements of the Monetary Authority, while complementing the relationship between the banks internally and externally. This move is in line with the efforts of the financial and banking sectors, and is in tune with the developments in the banking industry and global taxonomy standards which are associated with the provision of preventive measures. We are confident that the excellent track record of EastNets and its expertise in the field of anti-money laundering solutions will enable us to meet the needs in this area in order to protect our customers and the economy as a whole.”

“We are pleased with Capital Bank of Jordan’s selection of our en.SafeWatch Filtering and en.SafeWatch Profiling solutions,” said Hazem Mulhim, CEO, EastNets. “With this agreement, Capital Bank of Jordan is taking a vital step towards promoting and developing risk protection against money laundering and to address tightened regulatory controls.”

Fahed Abu-Hijleh, Managing Director, EastNets Jordan, said: “Our partnership with Capital Bank of Jordan reaffirms our strong reputation as a leading provider of reliable and secure financial solutions in Jordan. We will build on our growing portfolio of high-profile clients to further expand and strengthen our share in Jordan’s financial market.”

Under the terms of the agreement, EastNets will commence implementation of many effective solutions immediately, including en.SafeWatch Filtering – which provides real-time blocking; supports all lists including US Office of Foreign Assets and Control (OFAC) and PEP; provides NACHA IAT screening support; and is SWIFT-certified.

en.SafeWatch Profiling, which is also being deployed as part of the agreement, provides customer and account monitoring and profiling, risk scoring, peer group analysis, case management and regulatory reporting.

EastNets en.SafeWatch Filtering solution was ranked by the Celent analyst firm as a leading watch list filtering solution, used today by over 360 customers in 80 countries.

Emirates NBD sponsors India Club Western Union UAE Open Badminton Tournament

Dubai, July 10, 2010: Winners of the India Club - Western Union UAE Open Badminton Tournament 2010 were honoured at a prize distribution function held recently at the India Club in Dubai. Emirates NBD a leading bank in the region, was the associate sponsor for the month-long badminton tournament, which witnessed participation from men, women and children across various age groups. Emirates NBD’s sponsorship of the event is part of its annual tie up with India Club and is in keeping with its three-year association with the club.

Dubai, July 6, 2010: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced the launch of its redesigned PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) banking, to be at par with the latest technologies and handsets in the market. The revamped services will enable customers to access their accounts from the latest PDAs, which are mobile devices that function as personal information managers with internet access. The service is available with most devices including Blackberry, iphone, smart phones and PDAs from other manufacturers.

Emirates NBD, was the first bank in the MENA region to offer PDA banking, since 2000. In addition to providing an enhanced customer experience, with its new look and feel, the redesigned service will further streamline and simplify PDA banking for customers.

“Emirates NBD is aware of the busy schedules of its clients and is hence always on the lookout for solutions that will provide customers easy access to banking services around the clock,” said Mohammed Al Falasi, Senior Vice President, Head of Direct Sales and Alternative Channels, Emirates NBD. “The increasing availability of Internet-enabled phones and PDAs has empowered us to augment our PDA banking services and offer a variety of solutions tailored to meet the needs of our clients.”

Customers can now access a lighter version of Banknet - Emirates NBD’s online banking services - conveniently from their PDAs. Services include account information, credit card statements, bank transfers, utility bills, credit card payments and checking currency and fixed deposit rates.

In addition to the revamped PDA banking service, Emirates NBD’s existing information technology channels include online banking, ATMs, CDMs, SMS services and telephone banking.

Dubai, July 03, 2010: In line with its commitment to provide a range of financial solutions for its customers, Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced today the launch of a new campaign to spread awareness of the benefits of using debit cards, rather than cash, when travelling abroad. The campaign will run from July 1–August 31, 2010, and aims to make customers aware of the security advantages of carrying a debit card, rather than large amounts of cash when travelling.

During this promotion, customers will be encouraged to use their debit cards instead of cash, with daily cashback rewards of up to AED 4,000. The rewards are applicable on every AED 200 or more in purchases or cash withdrawals from ATM machines. The offer applies to anywhere outside of the UAE during the months of July and August. Additionally, at the end of the promotion there will be a final prize draw of AED 50,000.

The security advantages of using cards in place of cash have long been recognised. In the event of a lost or stolen card, customers can call the 24-hour emergency helpline and the bank will make immediate arrangements to stop misuse of the account. In addition, because debit cards utilise funds from the available balance, there are no interest charges.

“Customers are often unaware of the considerable security and convenience benefits of using debit cards to pay for their purchases. They have traditionally carried cash while travelling or only used their debit cards for withdrawing cash from ATM machines,” said R. Sivaram, Senior Vice President, Cards Business Head, Emirates NBD. “This new initiative is designed to spread awareness that debit cards are accepted internationally and are one of the safest ways to make payments whilst travelling.”

“With the summer season upon us, and these fantastic rewards from Emirates NBD, there is no better time to switch from cash to debit cards. By making this smart choice, customers will be able to fully enjoy their travel experience with added peace of mind,” he concluded.

Abu Dhabi, June 29, 2010: In line with its commitment to enhance customer service standards across all the markets in which it operates, Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced today the launch of its first “Customer Day” in Al Ain, which took place in two of its branches in the city. The event provided customers with the opportunity to interact with Emirates NBD senior management and to share opinions and feedback about the bank’s products and services.

The ongoing programme, also held in Abu Dhabi last year and Dubai earlier this year, is integral to the bank’s long-term focus on service quality and designed to improve levels of overall customer satisfaction by increasing dialogue between clients and bank staff. The bank also took this opportunity to introduce suggestions boxes in these branches, enabling customers to provide feedback throughout the year.

“At Emirates NBD, we recognise that our clients are our greatest source of learning and that this ongoing dialogue will provide us with significant opportunities to further improve their experience of banking with us,” said Jamal Bin Ghalaita, Group Deputy CEO, Emirates NBD. “Al Ain is a developing city with a fast-growing population and an important part of Emirates NBD’s UAE-wide presence. We are therefore focused on meeting and exceeding the expectations of our customers in Al Ain.”

“We are very pleased to introduce this initiative in Al Ain as part of our overall goal of enhancing the level of customer satisfaction across our operations,” said Abdulelah Al Kindly, General Manager, Retail Banking, Emirates NBD. “Our ‘Customer Day’ programme has proved a tremendous success so far and is an initiative that is integral to the bank’s long-term focus on service quality. We look forward to hosting further such events in the months to come.”