INSEAD Day 4 - 728x90

Mashreq Q1 profit rises

Total revenue increased 10% year-on-year.

TECOM profit climbs

High occupancy across assets boosts earnings.

Emirates Stallions Q1 revenue up 11%

The rise helped by strong demand in real estate

ADNOC Distribution 2025 dividend $700m

The company had reported EBITDA of $1.17 bn in 2025.

Empower okays $119.1m H2 2025 dividend

The dividend is equivalent to 43.75% of paid-up capital.

GCC banking’s tech shift saves time, money

  • As of 2019, there were over 5,000 bank branches in the GCC region, catering to a population exceeding 50 million.
  • On average, customers spent about 30 minutes in these branches to avail themselves of banking services.

Dubai, UAE — From offering basic banking services to merchants and businesses in the early 19th century to a period of rapid development in the ’70s and ’80s, banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region have come a long way.

The banks began adoption of advanced technologies such as online banking, mobile banking, and ATMs in the 1990s and 2000s.

In recent years, GCC banks have continued to adopt even more advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and big data, improving customer service, fraud detection, and risk management in the process.

TRENDS explains in this video the technological evolution of the banking sector in the region.