Emirates NBD ranks first of 25 banks in the first Middle East and Africa AI index
Evident's new index puts Emirates NBD ahead of Standard Bank, with First Abu Dhabi Bank third. Two of the top three are in the UAE.
Evident, which benchmarks banks on artificial intelligence, published its first AI Index for banks in the Middle East and Africa in June 2026. It assessed 25 of the region’s largest banks (Evident).
The top three
- 1. Emirates NBD (UAE)
- 2. Standard Bank Group (South Africa)
- 3. First Abu Dhabi Bank (UAE)
Emirates NBD said it was the only bank to place in the top three across the index’s Talent, Innovation and Leadership pillars (Emirates NBD).
What it measures, and what it does not
Indexes of this kind score what banks disclose: hiring, research, patents, executive statements and published use cases. They reward banks that talk about AI in public. They do not measure whether a customer’s fraud alert was right or whether an assistant answered a question well.
Why it matters for customers
Emirates NBD has run AI in customer service for years, including its EVA virtual assistant. A high maturity score is a signal of investment, not of outcomes. The questions we will keep asking are about the customer: how often AI decisions are reviewed by a person, and how easy it is to reach one.
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