Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 05 | Page 73

INDUSTRY WATCH ABOUT National Bank of Abu Dhabi was founded in 1968 by a decree of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE. The bank is rated senior long/short term AA-/A-1+ by S&P, Aa3/P1 by Moody’s, AA-/ F1+ by Fitch, A+ by R&I Japan and AAA by RAM Malaysia, giving it one of the strongest combined rating of any global financial institution. Since 2009, NBAD has been ranked one of the World’s 50 Safest Banks by Global Finance magazine, which also ranked NBAD the Safest Bank in the Emerging Markets and Middle East. When the Abu Dhabi Stock Market was founded, we originated nearly 30% of its shares. NBAD opened its first overseas branch in Egypt in 1975, followed by further expansion into Sudan and Oman the following year. Before the decade closed, NBAD had opened branches in the UK and France and commenced its American operations in Washington, D.C. The Hong Kong office was established in 2009 with Malaysia and South America added in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Today, NBAD has a global presence in 17 countries and overseas territories, spanning five continents: China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Oman, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, France, Switzerland, the UK, USA and Brazil. www.intelligentcio.com INTELLIGENTCIO 73