The Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) has grown its UAE National workforce to 39% in 2025, with 453 Emirati employees now forming one of the most important pillars of its business. With its flagship Tumoo7 Management Trainee Programme, the Bank onboards UAE National graduates into a structured journey combining classroom learning, mentorship and hands-on project work. In 2025, 40 graduates joined the programme with 20 of them specialising in technology, a deliberate response to the skills the banking sector will need most over the coming decade.
Now in its third cohort, CBD's Tech Graduate Programme (Tech Tumoo7) is specifically designed to build a pipeline of UAE National leaders who are fluent in Open Finance, AI-driven workflows, data analytics and cybersecurity, all core to how modern banks operate. Also, CBD's Data Literacy Programme, Microsoft Copilot training, and Fintech Certification tracks are running across the organisation, equipping UAE National employees with the tools to thrive in an AI-first workplace.
"What I see most clearly in our Emirati talent is potential that simply needs the right environment to grow. Our job is to create that environment through real career pathways and genuine investment in each individual's development. In 2025 alone, we welcomed 141 UAE Nationals into CBD and sponsored nine employees through postgraduate studies. These are people with ambitions, and our commitment is to back those ambitions every step of the way,” said Dr. Bernd van Linder, CEO of CBD.
In 2025, CBD also invested in targeted soft skills development for Emirati employees, including a presentation and public speaking programme for nine emerging leaders, and Customer Experience certifications for 10 UAE National staff. The Bank also focuses on providing female Emirati employees with opportunities, such as the prestigious Dubai Financial Experts Programme, a DIFC-led initiative offering world-class mentorship and international job shadowing.
Perhaps the most visible signal of CBD's commitment to Emiratization came in November 2025, when the Bank opened a state-of-the-art Customer Contact Centre in Ras Al Khaimah, led and fully staffed by Emirati talent. The centre was built to create structured career pathways for UAE Nationals in the Northern Emirates, from frontline roles to supervisory and management tracks.
For CBD, any Emiratization initiatives, like Ru'ya 2026, is an opportunity to listen as much as to share. It is a space to understand what young UAE Nationals are looking for from an employer, what skills they want to build, and how CBD can support their ambitions.