National Bank of Kuwait Accelerates Digital Influence with FinTech Acquisition and AI Push

National Bank of Kuwait seems to have spent 2025 in full throttle, rolling out one initiative after another to cement its influence in both consumer and digital banking. Reading through the bank’s latest round-up, I couldn’t help thinking of founders I’ve met at Arageek events who often say that real momentum comes from years of groundwork. NBK’s Consumer and Digital Banking Group appears to be following that same playbook.

Mohammed Al‑Othman, who leads the group, framed the year as a shift from simply keeping up with change to actively shaping it. His point was hard to miss: the bank has pushed beyond traditional banking, expanding products, deepening its tech capabilities, and signing prestige partnerships—from Harrods to Avios to Aura. By the end of the year, NBK offered more than 22 different cards and had over 200 services live on its mobile app. That said, having so many options can be a bit of a faff for customers unless the experience is smooth, and NBK claims it has made the app central to almost everything. According to the bank, mobile now represents roughly 90% of all transactions, with usage jumping fourteen-fold and customer satisfaction hitting 93%.

One thing I reckon stood out is how deliberately the bank’s strategy leans on data. Al‑Othman described it as treating data not as “static numbers” but as the customer’s voice. And believe it or not, this ties neatly into their new long-term plan through 2030, which pushes for AI-driven services, personalised financial tools, and a more holistic digital ecosystem. Hearing him describe a bank that anticipates your needs before you ask reminded me of a young Kuwaiti founder who once joked that “banks know everything anyway—may as well use it for something useful.”

There were plenty of concrete moves too. The bank redesigned its branches to complement digital channels rather than compete with them—an approach I’ve seen resonate in other MENA markets where people still value in-person reassurance. NBK also took a bold step by acquiring UPayments, making it the first Kuwaiti bank to buy a FinTech company. On the flip side, such integrations aren’t always easy, but the bank believes it will accelerate digital payment innovations.

NBK also launched the Al Manzel programme to help customers finance home renovation through partnerships with more than 40 specialised companies. And in its push to support SMEs, it unveiled Kuwait’s first POS‑linked financing product, allowing small businesses to borrow up to KD 30,000 based on their sales. Many entrepreneurs I’ve met would be chuffed to bits with that kind of flexible support, especially in a market where access to financing is often tricky.

Meanwhile, Weyay—the digital bank aimed at youth—kept growing fast, more than doubling its user base in the 15–23 bracket. It even launched its first fully digital loan and introduced in‑app chat support. I’ve seen how young users across the region warm quickly to products that make banking feel less like a chore and more like, well… I mean, something they can control on their own terms.

Awards poured in across the year, from MEED to Global Finance to Euromoney, spotlighting everything from NBK’s innovation credentials to Weyay’s Jeel card for children. These recognitions don’t define the bank’s success, of course, but they do hint at how much ground it has covered.

By the end of 2025, NBK positioned the year not just as a list of achievements but a milestone in building trust and preparing for the next phase of growth. Whether every target lands spot on is something we’ll see in time, but the bank’s ambition to blend digital intelligence with everyday banking is definately clear—and in a region pushing hard toward smarter financial ecosystems, that ambition might be exactly what keeps it ahead.

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