EIF Innovation Hub and Visa Enter into Strategic Partnership to Empower National Talent in the Digital Payments Sector

The Innovation Hub of the Emirates Institute of Finance (EIF) and Visa, a global digital payments leader, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the strategic collaboration in empowering and preparing the national talents for the digital future of payments.

The MoU was signed by H.E. Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri, Assistant Governor of Banking Operations and Support Services at CBUAE and Vice Chairman of the EIF, and Joanne Kubba, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa Region at Visa, in the presence of senior officials from both entities.

As part of the MoU, two parties will collaborate to develop specialized training tracks and provide advanced learning resources focused on building skills in digital payments and emerging financial technologies. The partnership aims to build future-ready skills among Emirati talent as part of the “Ethraa” program, contributing to national Emiratization efforts in the financial sector. Furthermore, both parties will work on delivering the workshops at the EIF Innovation Hub to promote continuous and encourage knowledge exchange.

H.E. Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri, Assistant Governor of Banking Operations and Support Services at CBUAE and Vice Chairman of the EIF, stated: “Collaboration with Visa reflects the shared commitment to enhancing the competitiveness of national talent and equipping them with future-ready skills in the financial sector. This partnership marks a strategic milestone in developing a new generation of Emirati professionals capable of leading the digital payments sector.”

Joanne Kubba, Visa’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), emphasized that the signing of the MoU reflects Visa’s strong commitment to advancing the UAE’s vision of building future-ready national talent across the financial sector. She said: “This partnership with EIF reaffirms Visa’s dedication to strengthening capabilities in key areas such as digital payments, cybersecurity, data analytics, and the digitization of government services. We are proud to bring our global expertise to this strategic collaboration, and we look forward to supporting the UAE’s financial ecosystem as it moves confidently toward a more digital and knowledge-driven future.”