SC Ventures, the innovation and venture-building arm of Standard Chartered, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Emirates NBD. This agreement was finalized at the Dubai FinTech Summit and aims to explore strategic collaboration in financial services within the Middle East and North Africa region.
The partnership will focus on joint innovation-led initiatives, supporting ventures in the region, and exploring investment opportunities by leveraging both parties’ portfolios and market insights. The collaboration seeks to identify synergies across digital innovation, strategic partnerships, and venture co-creation.
Gautam Jain, Operating Member of SC Ventures, stated: “SC Ventures was founded on the vision of rewiring the DNA of banking and building an ecosystem to support this goal. The MoU with Emirates NBD brings together two forward-looking institutions with a shared ambition to accelerate innovation and unlock new value in the MENA region.”
Neeraj Makin, Group Head of Strategy, Analytics, and Venture Capital at Emirates NBD, added: “Innovation is a cornerstone of everything we do at Emirates NBD. This partnership with SC Ventures directly meets our goal of driving innovation in banking and strengthening our commitment to transform the landscape by creating new opportunities for growth in financial services in the region. This will lead to smarter, intuitive and secure banking experiences for our customers.”
The initiative reflects the UAE’s growing role as a global hub for financial innovation. It underscores its commitment to fostering collaboration within the sector to shape the future of banking and financial services in the region. By combining their strengths in innovation and market leadership, SC Ventures and Emirates NBD aim to advance digital transformation and regional FinTech development.
