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8 October 2025

FAB Wins First Place at Nafis Award 2025 for Exceeding ‎Emiratisation Mandate Among Large Entities

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    Honoured with Diamond Category for the exceptional efforts in advancing key ‎strategic Emiratisation initiatives
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Abu Dhabi, 8 October 2025 ‎: First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE’s global bank and one of the world’s largest and ‎safest financial institutions, has been awarded for its outstanding contributions to ‎Emiratisation and national talent development at the Nafis Award 2025, organised by the ‎Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin ‎Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the ‎Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Council’s Board of Directors. ‎

The Nafis Award celebrates outstanding efforts by Emirati nationals and private sector ‎organisations that contribute to the UAE’s Emiratisation objectives. As part of the Nafis ‎Programme, launched under the Fifty Initiatives Package in 2021, the awards recognise ‎entities that exemplify excellence in developing Emirati talent and advancing the nation’s ‎long-term economic diversification under UAE Vision 2031.‎

During the ceremony, held on 8th October 2025, FAB was presented: ‎

  • First place for exceeding the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) regulatory mandate ‎among large entities in the banking sector category
  • Diamond Category for the exceptional efforts in advancing key strategic ‎Emiratisation initiatives

These recognitions reflect FAB’s strategic commitment to building a future-ready Emirati ‎workforce through a proactive Emiratision strategy and the banks’ consistent focus on ‎talent development. It also highlights how the bank is exceeding national employment ‎targets, expanding leadership opportunities for Emiratis, and fostering sustainable career ‎development through structured training and mentorship programmes. The awards were ‎presented during a ceremony held at the prestigious Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, ‎attended by senior government officials, senior business leaders, and key industry ‎representatives.

Hana Al Rostamani, Group Chief Executive Officer of FAB, said: “Empowering Emirati ‎talent is not only a strategic priority for FAB, but also a national duty and a fundamental ‎pillar of our vision for sustainable growth and leadership. This recognition from the Emirati ‎Talent Competitiveness Council reaffirms our dedication to nurturing a world-class ‎Emirati workforce capable of driving innovation, shaping the future of banking, and ‎advancing the UAE’s economic transformation. We remain committed to enabling ‎Emiratis to lead, innovate, and excel both locally and globally, driving progress that ‎embodies the UAE’s ambition and potential.”‎

Commitment to Emirati Talent and Sustainable Growth

‎ FAB’s recognition with the First Award at the Nafis 2025 ceremony reaffirms the bank’s ‎long-standing commitment to Emiratisation as a strategic national priority. The bank ‎continues to lead the way in national talent development, with UAE nationals now ‎representing 47% of core roles and 40% of critical positions including, 92% of branch ‎management roles across the UAE led by Emiratis. FAB has also achieved the highest ‎enrolment of Emiratis in training programmes with strong representation of Emirati ‎women in leadership roles, and a significant number of hires in emerging fields such as AI ‎and digital management. The bank’s Emiratisation efforts also extend to hiring Emiratis in ‎regions with fewer job opportunities, such as Al Ain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, ‎supporting balanced national development and economic inclusion. These initiatives ‎reflect a comprehensive Emiratisation strategy designed to build future skills, diversify ‎opportunity, and support inclusive national growth. ‎

FAB’s Emiratisation strategy includes targeted recruitment via the Nafis platform, career ‎fairs, salary support for nationals and participation in the Nafis Leadership Programme. A ‎suite of development initiatives including onboarding schemes, leadership pathways, and ‎strategic secondments have also been designed to empower local talent across all ‎business lines.‎