Emirates NBD and Nium join forces to transform global cross-border payments in the Middle East

Partnership seeks to enhance cross-border payments from the UAE to the rest of the worldEmirates NBD to offer a seamless, instantaneous, cost-effective remittance experience to customers

DUBAI, UAE, May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nium, the global leader in real-time cross-border payments, today announced a partnership with Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye) region, to empower customers with a cutting-edge global payments solution that will redefine the financial services landscape in the Middle East and beyond.

The partnership, subject to regulatory approvals, seeks to elevate the remittance experience with seamless, instantaneous cross-border transfers between the UAE and countries worldwide. Remittances from the UAE have been driven by a growing expatriate population and cross-border trade. By leveraging Nium’s payouts services, Emirates NBD offers customers real-time, cost-effective payment solutions with speed and unparalleled reliability.

Emirates NBD selected Nium as a partner, citing the depth of Nium’s global network, comprehensive capabilities worldwide, and the advanced functionality of its platform, APIs and tech stack as decisive factors.

“Nium is focused on achieving ubiquitous reach of our global payments infrastructure,” said Prajit Nanu, Founder and CEO at Nium. “The Middle East is a key market for us, and we have been doubling down on expansion in the region. Our partnership with Emirates NBD extends our presence into the heart of the Middle East with one of the most trusted names in the region. As a cornerstone of the global digital banking industry, Emirates NBD stands at the intersection of trillions of dollars of money movement and through this partnership Nium looks forward to moving more money in real-time across the region and beyond on our global infrastructure.”

Marwan Hadi, Group Head, Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, said: “As a leading national banking group, Emirates NBD has played an active role in introducing innovation in all our banking solutions. The partnership with Nium, a global leader in real-time, cross-border payments, will facilitate seamless, global transactions for our customers. This collaboration is a testament to the bank’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and pushing boundaries to deliver excellence.”

Nium recently launched a white paper titled “Payments in the Middle East: The next frontier.” With trillions of dollars flowing through the region each year, and more expected as real-time payment adoption accelerates further, the result is a region that is primed for success and growth. The paper explores how this state of play came to be, the opportunities it presents, and what needs to be done for businesses of all stripes to utilize this new landscape.

The paper calls out a Deloitte report on the Middle East’s fintech industry that stated, “The way forward for the Middle East Fintech ecosystem to reach its full potential goes through regulatory harmonisation and development of strategic partnership between banks and fintechs.” This partnership between Nium and Emirates NDB is just that – an alliance to help further the region’s innovation.

About Nium  

Nium, the leader in real-time, cross-border payments, was founded on the mission to deliver the global payments infrastructure of tomorrow, today. With the onset of the global economy, its payments infrastructure is shaping how banks, fintechs, and businesses everywhere collect, convert, and disburse funds instantly across borders. Its payout network supports 100 currencies and spans 190+ countries, 100 of which in real-time. Funds can be disbursed to accounts, wallets, and cards and collected locally in 35 markets. Nium’s growing card issuance business is already available in 34 countries. Nium holds regulatory licenses and authorizations in more than 40 countries, enabling seamless onboarding, rapid integration, and compliance – independent of geography. The company is co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore.  

About Emirates NBD

Emirates NBD (DFM: Emirates NBD) is a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye) region with a presence in 13 countries, serving over 9 million active customers. As at 31st March 2024, total assets were AED 902 billion, (equivalent to approx. USD 246 billion). The Group has operations in the UAE, Egypt, India, Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Russia and Bahrain and representative offices in China and Indonesia with a total of 858 branches and 4,450 ATMs / SDMs. Emirates NBD is the leading financial services brand in the UAE with a Brand value of USD 3.89 billion. 

Emirates NBD Group serves its customers (individuals, businesses, governments, and institutions) and helps them realise their financial objectives through a range of banking products and services including retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, Islamic banking, investment banking, private banking, asset management, global markets and treasury, and brokerage operations. The Group is a key participant in the global digital banking industry with 97% of all financial transactions and requests conducted outside of its branches. The Group also operates Liv, the lifestyle digital bank by Emirates NBD, with close to half a million users, it continues to be the fastest-growing bank in the region.

Emirates NBD contributes to the construction of a sustainable future as an active participant and supporter of the UAE’s main development and sustainability initiatives, including financial wellness and the inclusion of people of determination. Emirates NBD is committed to supporting the UAE’s Year of Sustainability as Principal Banking Partner of COP28 and an early supporter to the Dubai Can sustainability initiative, a city-wide initiative aimed to reduce use of single-use plastic bottled water.

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