When you sit across from Ahmed Abdelaal, there’s a clarity to him that’s hard to ignore. It’s not just in the way he speaks – measured, thoughtful, decisive – but in the way he listens. There’s intent. Presence. A kind of stillness that reflects the steady force behind one of the region’s most transformative banks.
As Group CEO of Mashreq, Abdelaal leads an institution with a 50-year legacy and a challenger mindset. And while it’s tempting to define his leadership in terms of growth metrics or awards – and there are plenty – what truly sets him apart is his insistence on something deceptively simple: make banking more human.
“The key driver enabling this entire transformation is technology,” he says, “but the focus of the transformation is the customer, and the customer is after all human.”
This philosophy doesn’t come from a playbook – it comes from lived experience. Abdelaal has witnessed firsthand how banks can be both impersonal and overly complex. His mission at Mashreq is to flip that script: to create a bank that not only embraces innovation but does so with empathy, humility, and purpose.
From bank to partner
Under Abdelaal’s leadership, Mashreq is doing more than digitising. It’s redefining. Gone is the notion of a bank as a passive interface. In its place: a facilitator of financial services, deeply embedded in people’s lives and businesses.
“We proactively explore and deploy digital technologies and tools that we know will enable us to build our capabilities for the future, rather than simply allowing ourselves to be passively changed by technology,” he says. “Our vision is to be the region’s most progressive challenger bank.”
This isn’t just talk. Mashreq is already a standout in the region’s fintech and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) ecosystems. From digital-native offerings like Mashreq NEO to strategic collaborations with global fintechs, Mashreq is building platforms – not just products – with customer experience at the core.
It’s a bank that thinks like a fintech, acts like a tech company, and builds like an institution. That mindset has become critical as banks move from transactional service providers to trusted advisors – entities that don’t just hold money, but empower financial wellbeing.
Abdelaal’s belief in this shift is firm. “Banks must evolve from being gatekeepers of capital to enablers of opportunity,” he says.
Building digital with a human heart
Abdelaal is candid about the paradox at the heart of modern banking: how to use technology to serve people better, without losing the human touch.
“Although the majority of these interactions may be digital,” he says, “we must do all we can to make sure these digital interactions are made as human as possible… intuitive, personalised, and empathetic.”
It’s an ethos that permeates Mashreq’s approach to AI. The bank’s AI-powered chatbot now understands customer behaviour, financial habits, even lifestyle cues. Machine learning doesn’t just personalise – it anticipates. “We analyse vast amounts of transactional data to uncover patterns and preferences unique to each customer,” Abdelaal explains.
But this technological edge isn’t just about convenience. It’s about trust. Every tool, every innovation is built with a clear objective: to create a relationship with the customer that is seamless, secure, and deeply personalised.
Mashreq has also embedded AI into its fraud prevention, risk analytics, and wealth management platforms, delivering services that are proactive rather than reactive. These capabilities are reshaping what customers expect from a bank – and what a bank can deliver.
Culture first
Ask Abdelaal about Mashreq’s digital transformation and he’ll tell you it starts with people, not platforms.
“Innovation happens when employees feel empowered, inspired, and confident to challenge the status quo,” he says. “Leadership, to me, is about creating an environment where people are not just executing tasks but shaping the future of banking.”
At Mashreq, that philosophy takes shape in its Employee Value Proposition – five pillars that focus on recognition, growth, accountability, and inclusion. From internal leadership academies to the expansion of its ACE Program across GCC, Egypt, and India, Mashreq is creating a workforce ready for a digital, data-driven future.
The result? A culture where agility meets ambition, where every employee is empowered to think boldly, act responsibly, and lead from where they stand.
Mashreq’s internal mobility programs, mentorship schemes, and upskilling pathways have fostered a team that is not only resilient but curious. And that curiosity – about what’s next, about what’s possible – is what fuels the bank’s long-term innovation.
Sustainability with teeth
In a region where ESG often remains a buzzword, Mashreq is quietly becoming a benchmark.
Driven by the Climb2Change initiative – named Most Innovative ESG Initiative MENA 2024 – Mashreq is aligning itself with national and planetary goals. Its ambition? Facilitate $30 billion in sustainable finance by 2030. But it’s not just ambition – it’s action.
From the landmark $3.25 billion sustainability-linked financing for GEMS Education to mountain clean-ups in Pakistan and Egypt, Mashreq is walking the talk. “Sustainability is a cornerstone of the bank’s strategic direction,” Abdelaal says. “We integrate ethical and socially responsible principles comprehensively across our operations.”
Whether it’s enabling clients in their Net Zero transition or championing financial inclusion across emerging markets, Mashreq is making sustainability a measurable, mission-critical priority.
Mashreq’s ESG agenda is underpinned by collaboration. The bank actively works with regulators, industry bodies, and multilateral organisations to build frameworks that reward long-term thinking and shared value. In Abdelaal’s words: “It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about reshaping business models for good.”
Regulation as catalyst, not constraint
While many view compliance as the enemy of innovation, Abdelaal sees it differently.
“We work collaboratively with government bodies and regulators… sharing insights from our operational experiences, promoting best practice and meeting the highest of international standards,” he says. “Innovation is far from being hindered due to compliance and regulatory frameworks.”
This regulatory engagement is helping Mashreq play a key role in shaping policy across fintech, AI, digital identity and ESG. The bank isn’t just adapting to change – it’s influencing it.
Abdelaal believes in proactive dialogue with regulators, not just to protect customers, but to future-proof financial systems. As regulation catches up with emerging tech, Mashreq is already setting benchmarks in areas like ethical AI, cybersecurity, and data privacy.
Inclusion at scale
Abdelaal’s mission isn’t just about reshaping how banking is done. It’s about who it’s done for.
Mashreq’s work with SMEs, underserved communities, and mobile-first banking initiatives reflects a belief in scalable inclusion. “Instead of expanding physical infrastructure… our focus is on education, raising awareness of digitalisation, and empowering customers to adopt digital modes of banking.”
And it’s working. From digital wallets to AI-driven SME credit tools, Mashreq is helping to build a financial ecosystem where everyone – regardless of income or geography – has a seat at the table.
Inclusion is no longer an add-on; it’s an operating principle. And Mashreq’s partnerships – with fintechs, NGOs, and telecom operators – have helped extend services to previously unbanked populations across the Middle East and North Africa.
“We can’t talk about innovation without talking about access,” Abdelaal says. “True transformation is measured by how many lives we improve.”
Expansion with precision
Even with its roots in the UAE, Mashreq’s ambitions stretch far beyond its borders. Abdelaal’s global experience – spanning London, New York, and Hong Kong – has shaped the bank’s expansion strategy across GCC, Africa, and Asia.
And at the heart of that expansion is a foundational truth Abdelaal never loses sight of: “As the UAE’s oldest bank and one of the oldest banking institutions in the Middle East, we believe we are in a unique position of strength within our markets; and we proudly think like a challenger and an innovator.”
That positioning – heritage fused with hunger – has become Mashreq’s defining advantage. The bank blends a half-century of credibility with a culture of agility. It draws upon its legacy of trust while pushing boundaries through cutting-edge technology.
“We blend extensive international experience – with full-service branches in London, New York and Hong Kong – with our sound local and regional knowledge,” he says. “This approach is reflected in our recent successes in expanding throughout the GCC region.”
It’s a playbook that mixes legacy strength with start-up agility. And it’s positioning Mashreq as one of the few regional players ready to scale sustainably on a global stage.
From pioneering cross-border remittance platforms to supporting trade finance in frontier markets, Mashreq is exporting its core strengths – customer centricity, digital excellence, and regulatory alignment – into new economies hungry for transformation.
Mashreq’s global ambition is clear: to be a digital-first, borderless bank with regional soul and international strength.
The legacy he’s building
You don’t leave a conversation with Ahmed Abdelaal dazzled by buzzwords. You leave reminded of what leadership in the digital age should feel like: calm, thoughtful, accountable. He’s not here to disrupt for disruption’s sake. He’s here to build – quietly, deliberately, enduringly.
“People are at the heart of everything we do, and when they feel empowered, they create impact,” he says.
For Abdelaal, legacy isn’t about leaving a mark. It’s about enabling others to make theirs. At Mashreq, that legacy is already taking shape – through purpose-led banking, bold innovation, and a deeply human approach to leadership.
It’s a leadership model built on trust, powered by vision, and shaped by values. In a region racing toward its digital destiny, Abdelaal offers a compass. Not just to Mashreq, but to the wider industry.
Because the future of banking isn’t just digital. It’s human. And Ahmed Abdelaal is making sure we all remember that.
Follow us on
