Emirates NBD has evolved its National Digital Talent Incubator into NDTI AI, an acceleration program designed to help established Emirati-owned SMEs adopt practical artificial intelligence solutions. Supported by partners including DIFC Innovation Hub, Visa and AWS, the initiative focuses on high-value use cases to drive measurable business outcomes and support the diversification of the UAE economy.
Building on NDTI’s work supporting Emirati entrepreneurs, the program marks a shift from a startup-focused incubator to hands-on support for SMEs that are already Emirates NBD customers. Working with each business, NDTI AI will identify high-value use cases and help transition from idea through experimentation towards production.
Each focused cohort is expected to include approximately four to five Emirati-owned SMEs selected from Emirates NBD’s SME customer base. Over time, the program is expected to run two cohorts a year, prioritising deeper engagement and measurable outcomes. The program will be discovery-led, with use cases tailored to participating businesses rather than drawn from a fixed set of solutions. Potential use cases span customer service, sales and marketing, workflow and document automation, financial management, compliance and forecasting.
Emirates NBD will lead program operations and SME selection, while DIFC Innovation Hub will support program design, ecosystem access and opportunities to showcase outcomes. The program will also be supported by AWS and Visa.
Rohit Garg, Group Head of Retail Products and Chief Digital Officer of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, said: “For SMEs, adopting AI starts with finding the right use cases and having access to the expertise and support to put them into practice. By bringing leading ecosystem partners together, NDTI AI will help business owners assess opportunities, test relevant solutions and move viable ideas towards implementation. This practical approach can help strengthen SME capabilities and competitiveness, while supporting broader AI adoption and the growth of a more innovative, diversified UAE economy. The program builds on our position as one of the region’s most advanced financial institutions in AI maturity, ranked first in the Evident AI Index for Banks in the Middle East and Africa.”
Mario Makary, UAE Country Manager, Visa, said: “AI is already reshaping how businesses operate, serve their customers and unlock new opportunities for growth. Through this collaboration with Emirates NBD and DIFC Innovation Hub, Visa will bring its payments expertise, innovation capabilities and understanding of evolving customer needs to help medium-sized enterprises turn promising AI use cases into practical, scalable solutions. By combining the strengths of our respective organisations, we can help businesses adopt AI responsibly and translate innovation into meaningful commercial outcomes.”
