Mbank and ADGM Academy Forge Pathway to Upskill Emirati Finance Talent

There’s a real buzz in Abu Dhabi these days about how local talent is being groomed for the financial world of tomorrow. The latest move that caught my eye is the partnership between Al Maryah Community Bank—often called Mbank—and ADGM Academy (ADGMA). They’ve just inked a Memorandum of Understanding to build long-term programmes that help Emiratis upskill and find their footing in the fast-evolving finance arena.

What’s refreshing here is that it’s not just another round of corporate talk about “empowerment” and “future readiness.” This deal lays out practical steps: tailored learning paths, internships, national development schemes, and special training courses linked to initiatives like NAFIS and the Financial Job Centre. Sounds like a solid plan to turn ambition into actual employability.

I remember chatting with a few startup founders around Abu Dhabi who said hiring skilled local talent can still be a bit of a faff—there are gaps between what the market needs and what people are trained for. So, a collaboration like this makes sense. It’s definitely spot on for what the MENA ecosystem needs right now: stronger skills backed by meaningful partnerships.

According to ADGMA’s Senior Director of Business Enablement, Ali Khadem Al Mehairi, the institution remains “committed to equipping UAE Nationals with the tools to excel in the financial sector.” He emphasised that such partnerships aren’t only about education—they’re shaping a generation ready to drive the UAE’s economic future.

Yacer Qureshi, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Mbank, described the agreement as a milestone in the bank’s transformation journey, saying that injecting “future-ready” skills into their roadmap goes hand in hand with the UAE’s ambition to be a global hub for innovation. He also highlighted that homegrown talent is the real engine of progress, which I reckon hits the nail on the head.

Then there’s a nice human touch to all this: Mbank’s Learning and Development team even received a Certificate of Appreciation from ADGMA for their ongoing work on Emirati upskilling. Not bad at all—recognition often says more than words, doesn’t it?

From Arageek’s vantage point, where we’ve seen plenty of MENA startups wrestle with the talent gap, this kind of cross-institutional strategy feels overdue but very welcome. It’s exactly the sort of long-term thinking that builds communities rather than quick wins.

On the flip side, managing expectations will be key. Developing talent at scale is never easy—it’s like turning a tanker, not a speedboat. But if Mbank and ADGMA can keep the momentum, we might well be watching a new wave of skilled Emiratis taking charge in banking, fintech, and beyond. And honestly, that’s something to be chuffed about… even if getting there might be, well, a bit messy at first.

In short, it’s an encouraging step for anyone who believes the UAE’s future lies not just in digital transformation but in people transformation too. The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding—or rather, in the next generation of financiers walking out of ADGMA’s doors and into the real world, ready to make a difference.

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