Dubai: Emirates NBD Bank yesterday held a lunch banquet in honour of its senior shareholders at its main office. The banquet was hosted at the invitation of Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, board chairman of the bank, who was in attendance.
The event was attended by Shaikh Surour Bin Mohammad Al Nahyan, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan — Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development as well as the bank’s board members and a large number of dignitaries and Emirates NBD shareholders.
“It is my pleasure to be here today at Emirates NBD, the first national bank established in the UAE in 1963. Today, the bank is the leading, largest and most important financial institution in the region. This milestone would not have been possible without your vision and support,” Shaikh Ahmad said.
“Such a landmark achievement requires us to pay rich tributes to the late founding leaders, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. It is thanks to their great vision and role that we have reached this milestone,” he added.
“On this occasion, we would also like to extend our profound thanks and appreciation to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for their vision and supportive role,” Shaikh Ahmad said.
He also thanked founding shareholders and former board members.
“We are immensely proud of our strong financial position as demonstrated by our Q1 results for 2016, which we had earlier announced,” he said.
For the first time in its history, Emirates NBD’s assets exceeded $100 billion (about Dh400 billion). The bank had also earned a record net profit of Dh7.1 billion in 2015. “The financial position of Emirates NBD is very strong today and its outstanding results reflect the tremendous efforts exerted over the past years to ensure that the bank remains a leader in the banking sector, maintaining its strength and good reputation that span more than five decades,” Shaikh Ahmad added.
The bank received a large number of accolades and awards in recognition of its achievements. The bank was recently named the Best Bank in the Middle East and Best Bank in the UAE at the Banker Middle East Industry Awards.
Shaikh Ahmad concluded by saying: “Driven by the vision of Shaikh Mohammad, the support and efforts of its senior shareholders, and the dedication of its administrators and staff, Emirates NBD is stepping into a new phase of growth,” said Shaikh Ahmad.
“The bank is fully prepared to tap into available opportunities in order to consolidate its position as one of the best, largest and most prestigious banks in the region,” he added.
Emirates NBD’s operations cover Asian markets through its branch offices in India, Singapore, China and Indonesia. It also entered African markets through its branch in Egypt, which achieved overwhelming results.
The bank now plans to expand into the GCC markets through its branch in Riyadh. The bank’s branch in London continues to serve its clients in London. With its vast branch network, Emirates NBD offers integrated banking services to more than 1.5 million clients and provide them with the latest banking services via all channels.