Bank ABC has been named among the winners of the ‘World’s Best Financial Innovation Labs’ at the Global Finance 2026 Innovators Awards.
The prestigious accolade, awarded to the bank’s innovation and digitisation centre, ABC Labs, marks the fifth time the facility has been recognised by the global programme for its role in spearheading enterprise-wide innovation and digital transformation.
Established in 2019, ABC Labs acts as an accelerator for customer-centric solutions, operational agility, and advanced digital capabilities across Bank ABC’s international network.
Recent highlights driven by the lab include the delivery of more than 40 AI and automation use cases across the group, which have generated over 100,000 annual productivity hours while enhancing customer and employee experiences.
The centre has also extended generative AI tools to employees group-wide, supported by training programmes and hackathons across six global units.
Additionally, ABC Labs has deployed AI agents to automate workflows, advanced several digital asset-based initiatives, and rolled out ‘ABC Innovation Weeks’ to unlock new business opportunities.
Bank ABC Group chief digitisation officer Dr Yousif Almas said the award marked a significant milestone in the bank’s strategic journey.
“At Bank ABC, innovation is embedded across the organisation and informs how we serve clients, improve operations, and create long-term value,” Dr Almas added. “This accolade reinforces our commitment to solving problems in new ways and responding swiftly to evolving market needs as we advance our vision of becoming Mena’s international bank of the future.”
Joseph Giarraputo, founder and editorial director of the Global Finance, noted that innovation labs play a critical role in allowing financial institutions to safely experiment with emerging technologies.
Mr Giarraputo added that these labs help organisations adapt more quickly to market changes and drive sustainable innovation across the financial ecosystem.
&uuid=(email))