Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Turkey) region has won top international honours for its leadership in retail banking and digital innovation at the recently held 11th annual Retail Banker International (RBI) Asia Trailblazer Awards 2020.

The bank was named Best Retail Bank in the UAE in recognition of its continued market leadership, strong customer franchise and performance excellence. Emirates NBD was also recognized for Excellence in Internet Banking in acknowledgement of the advances made in providing state-of-the-art features and a frictionless user experience to customers on the portal. In addition, the division won the Excellence in Mass Affluent Banking award for its market leading Priority Banking proposition that delivered best in class investment and financial planning solutions.

Liv., the lifestyle digital bank for millennials was commended for its Social Media Marketing, including for its unique ‘win an island’ campaign that provided one lucky customer with his own private island. Liv. continues to be the fastest growing bank in the country with a customer base of over 400,000 customers, and the banking brand of choice among the younger generation.

In addition, Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD was recognized with the prestigious RBI Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his three-decade plus contribution to the banking sector. Sarkar was recognised for his business leadership and pioneering vision in driving the bank’s regional and global accomplishments in retail banking and digital innovation and for his thought leadership and contributions to the industry over the years.

Commenting on the wins, Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking & Wealth Management, Emirates NBD, said: “We are honoured to be once again recognized with multiple prestigious titles at the RBI Asia Trailblazer Awards. In the face of these extraordinary times, the awards are an encouraging testament to our customer-first philosophy and continued commitment to advancing digital banking innovation. These recognitions reinforce our standing as a frontrunner in the region’s banking sector as we continue to strengthen our proposition with many first-to-market innovations.”

A regional front-runner in retail banking innovation, Emirates NBD has pioneered several market leading solutions to enhance and simplify banking. The bank occupies a dominant market share and is recognized as the most valuable banking brand in the country in The Banker’s annual brand valuation league table. The multiple trophies at the Asia Trailblazer Awards follow Emirates NBD's win at the RBI Global Awards 2020 earlier in the year for Middle East Retail Bank of the Year and Liv.'s accolade for Best Use of Digital Marketing and Social Media.

The Retail Banker International Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding organisations within retail banking, who have delivered excellence throughout the year. The awards are regarded within the industry as a mark of high performance, and an exceptional level of achievement.