Network International and Emirates NBD Extend Three-Decade Fintech Partnership

Mohammed Fathy

Last updated 12-05-2026

4 min

Network International and Emirates NBD renew a processing partnership spanning three decades.

Born as an in-house unit in 1994, Network now spans 56 markets.

It will keep running “behind the scenes” payments and back-office systems.

Emirates NBD cites operational excellence and faster, more efficient payments.

Amid constant disruption, continuity proves as valuable as innovation.

Network International and Emirates NBD have decided to stick together. The two giants have renewed their long-running processing and back-office management agreement, extending a relationship that goes back more than three decades.

In a region where partnerships can sometimes feel a bit of a revolving door, this one has serious staying power. Network was originally set up in 1994 as a subsidiary of Emirates NBD, so there’s history here, not just contracts and service-level agreements, but shared roots. Over time, what started as an in-house operation grew into one of the Middle East and Africa’s largest fintech players, now operating in 56 markets and supporting more than 250 financial institutions.

Under the renewed agreement, Network will continue providing processing and back-office management services to Emirates NBD Group. That means handling the heavy lifting behind the scenes, the payments infrastructure, operational workflows and systems that most customers never see but rely on every day. As banks expand across borders, these systems need to be resilient and scalable. And if anything, that demand has only intensified.

Murat Cagri Suzer, Group CEO of Network International, described Emirates NBD as holding “a special place” in the company’s history, pointing to its role as a founding partner. He said the renewal reflects the hard work of the teams involved and Network’s commitment to delivering secure and seamless payment services across acceptance, processing and value-added solutions.

From the bank’s side, Marwan Hadi, Group Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, said the group values long-term partnerships that consistently deliver operational excellence. Renewing the deal, he noted, reflects continued confidence in Network’s ability to support its processing and operational requirements while improving efficiency and speed across its payments ecosystem.

And believe it or not, these kinds of infrastructure partnerships can say a lot about how serious a bank is about digital transformation. Emirates NBD is already a heavyweight in the region, with a presence in 13 countries and more than 10 million active customers. As of 31 March 2026, the group reported total assets of AED 1.2 trillion, roughly $327 billion. It operates 790 branches and more than 4,500 ATMs and SDMs, yet 97 per cent of its financial transactions happen outside branches. That figure alone is spot on when we talk about how banking habits have shifted.

I’ve seen, through years of watching startups try to plug into legacy banking systems, how complex payments processing can be. Founders often tell us at Arageek that navigating compliance, infrastructure and integration is sometimes more exhausting than building the product itself. So when a banking giant leans on a specialist like Network, which works with over 240,000 merchants and has more than 3,000 staff across MEA, it makes practical sense. Not flashy, perhaps, but definately strategic.

On the flip side, I’m not always a fan of buzzwords like “ecosystem” being thrown around carelessly. That said, in this case, the scale does justify the term. Network supports banks, fintechs, telecom operators, governments and public sector entities, which creates a wide web of interconnected players. For a group like Emirates NBD, active not only in the UAE but also in markets such as Egypt, India, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, the UK and Singapore, that breadth is likely more than just nice to have.

The renewal also underlines Network International’s position as a core processing partner for major banks across the UAE and wider GCC. In a payments landscape where disruption is constant and regulation keeps evolving, continuity can be just as valuable as innovation.

Well… I mean, fintech headlines often focus on shiny new startups raising millions. But sometimes, the real story is in the quiet renewals, the partnerships that endure, adapt and keep the financial plumbing running smoothly. And for anyone building in MENA’s ecosystem, that kind of long-term alignment is something to watch carefully.

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