Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank PJSC : ADIB partners with IBM to launch innovative digital studio

ABU DHABI and ARMONK, NY - 20 December 2015: In line with its continuous efforts to innovate and digitize its products and services to enhance its customers' experience, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) (ADX: ADIB) today announced that it will fundamentally transform how it interacts and provides services to customers by building a new Digital Studio with IBM ((NYSE: IBM). This will further enhance the various digital innovation projects across the bank, including mobile banking iOS apps built on IBM Bluemix and IBM MobileFirst to deliver products that allow a more dynamic and engaging customer experience. The studio will be the first of its kind in the region.

The rise of FinTechs -- smaller, non-traditional firms using technology in the financial services industry -- and digitally-empowered customers are triggering an upheaval in how banks reassess their customer experience and customer retention. This is especially true for traditional banks as they fight to improve the cost of customer acquisition and improve their own agility in responding to the market with new products in less time.

To meet these challenges, ADIB needed to evolve its culture and decision-making process to fast-track development of new, elegantly-designed banking apps and tailored products for its customers. Working with IBM to build a Digital Design Studio, the first of its kind in the region, the bank is building a multi-disciplinary digital team. This will include experts from IBM Design and IBM Interactive Experience, the industry's largest hybrid digital agency and consultancy, who will work side-by-side with ADIB to create personalized and engaging digital experiences such as new mobile banking apps for consumers.

Commenting on the launch of the digital studio, Sagheer Mufti, Chief Operating Officer, ADIB said: 'ADIB aims to be the best digital bank in the UAE and the region and is continuously investing in cutting edge technologies to enhance customer experience and introduce innovative products and solutions to meet the evolving needs of its customers. In line with our core values of simplicity and mutual benefit, we are continuously looking for ways to foster innovation to deliver greater value and superior customer experience. The introduction of a digital studio at ADIB means we now have access to a team of dedicated IBM digital experts with proven experience designing compelling financial services and solutions that will work hand in hand with our professional team to make it easier for our customers to use our products and services and seamlessly manage their financial affairs. This studio will also play a major role in driving the various initiatives and projects across the bank to accelerate its digital transformation.'

Bluemix - IBM's cloud platform -- allows developers to accelerate the deployment of next-generation apps that capture the disruptive potential of cognitive computing, analytics and IoT. The Cloud platform will enable ADIB to accelerate the development and deployment of these next-generation apps that leverage these innovations to offer clients a truly differentiated digital experience.

'As companies transform, it's essential to address the systemic cause of what's standing in the way of change. IBM has created a new type of design thinking that brings together product management, engineering and design teams to deliver iconic user experiences for clients,' said Amr Refaat, General Manager, IBM Middle East and Pakistan. 'We are working with ADIB to help them craft the entire user experience by understanding users, exploring concepts, rapid prototyping and evaluating with users and diverse stakeholders.'

The Bank will also deploy the IBM MobileFirst for iOS Trusted Advisor App, allowing their financial advisors to easily and securely access and manage client portfolios from their iPads. The app empowers advisors to address the full gamut of client needs, from testing recommendations against sophisticated modeling tools all the way to complete, secure transactions. Powered by analytics, the Trusted Advice app provides predictive information that enables advisors to gain quick insight for devising client scenarios and conduct more interactive client planning sessions. Using their iPads, advisors can share graphic-rich data with clients for more engaging, personalized presentations that can be delivered wherever they meet with clients.​