FAB shifts from AI pilots to enterprise-wide deployment
AI Innovation Hub drives group-wide implementation and governance
#UAE #adoption – First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has announced significant progress in scaling AI, with deployment shifting from experimentation to enterprise-wide, production-grade AI embedding intelligent automation, agentic AI and decision intelligence into core business processes. The UAE’s largest bank has advanced more than 30 agentic AI use cases into production pipeline across trade and payments, client operations, compliance and technology engineering, delivering measurable improvements in productivity and client experience. FAB’s AI transformation is driven by its AI Innovation Hub, which provides governance, reusable capabilities and structured pipeline to scale high-impact use cases across the bank. Meanwhile, its enterprise data platform now has more than 90 percent of structured data integrated and supported by an agentic AI layer enabling secure, scalable deployment.
SO WHAT? – FAB’s AI adoption has evolved rapidly from pilot programmes to systematic enterprise deployment where AI agents are embedded across departments. AI now automates routine activities, surfaces insights and supports informed decision-making as part of daily operations rather than experimental initiatives. By establishing the AI Innovation Hub as the engine for enterprise AI acceleration with structured governance and reusable capabilities, FAB seems to have successfully addressed the challenge facing financial institutions where isolated AI experiments fail to translate into organisation-wide impact. According to a study released earlier this month by Boston Consulting Group, 37 percent of UAE organisations now reached the critical ‘Scaling’ maturity stage.
Here are some key points released by FAB:
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has announced significant progress in scaling AI and its AI maturity level, following the creation of an AI Innovation Hub in 2024.
FAB’s AI deployment marks a shift from experimentation to enterprise-wide, production-grade AI, embedding intelligent automation, agentic AI and decision intelligence into core business processes. AI now enables faster data-driven decisions, greater operational efficiency and more personalised client engagement across the group.
The AI Innovation Hub acts as the engine for enterprise AI acceleration, providing governance, reusable capabilities and structured pipeline to scale high-impact use cases across the bank, with AI agents embedded across departments to automate routine activities and support informed decision-making.
More than 30 agentic AI use cases are progressing across trade and payments, client operations, compliance and technology engineering, supporting growth and delivering measurable improvements in productivity and client experience whilst strengthening processes to safeguard intellectual property.
FAB’s AI transformation is underpinned by structured talent and capability agenda, with employees across the bank trained in applied AI skills supported by an environment that empowers them to actively engage with AI and apply it confidently to enhance effectiveness.
All AI initiatives operate under group-wide Responsible AI framework ensuring ethical, secure and compliant deployment, with AI remaining central to FAB’s long-term strategy enhancing operational agility, strengthening risk intelligence and supporting UAE’s ambition to build digitally enabled, knowledge-based economy.
The bank’s modern enterprise data platform has integrated more than 90% of structured data supported by an agentic AI layer, enabling secure, scalable deployment of AI solutions across core businesses aligned with regulatory, risk and compliance requirements.
ZOOM OUT – FAB launched its AI Innovation Hub in 2024 in strategic partnership with US technology company Microsoft, with a goal of driving innovation through AI, supporting global growth and shaping the future financial markets ecosystems. The hub’s focus is to accelerate adoption of new innovations and AI technology into financial services to provide product enhancement, personalisation, unique AI risk models and new solutions, leveraging Microsoft Azure AI services. The initiative extended FAB's previous work in AI including its long-standing partnership with Abu Dhabi AI holding company G42.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]