Emirates Institute For Banking And Financial Studies Signs Strategic Agreement With PwC’s Academy Middle East To Offer Three New Professional Certificates

Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS) has entered a strategic partnership with PwC’s Academy Middle East, the education business of PwC focused on improving the knowledge and skills of finance and business professionals, that aims to offer three new professional certificate courses in Fintech, Blockchain and Data Analytics.

Jamal Al Jassmi, General Manager of EIBFS, and Amanda Line, Partner at PwC’s Academy Middle East, signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to formalize the partnership during the EIBFS Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting at the Institute’s Dubai campus. The move is part of EIBFS’ strategic initiatives to develop the future skill sets of the workforce in the banking and financial sector in the UAE.

Jamal Al Jassmi said: “The EIBFS plan for 2019 features multiple transformational changes that will benefit the industry and the learners alike. Our strategic partnership with PwC’s Academy targets FinTech, blockchain and data analytics to enhance future skills and aptitudes that bank employees have to adopt. We have conducted a holistic industry-driven multi-stage learning need analysis with an emphasis on techno-functional skills in order to prepare UAE nationals for a disruptive digital era.”

Amanda Line said: “Our strategic partnership with EIBFS provides a platform for creative, collaborative and value-driven learning. With a focus on current and disruptive topics, such as data analytics, machine learning and human literacy, we can boost the success of UAE nationals as well as the growth of the financial sector in the UAE, true to our promise of supporting the sustainable growth of talent across the region.”

PwC’s Academy Middle East will handle the content and delivery of the three certification programs in collaboration with EIBFS. The programs will involve intensive classroom sessions, pre-course reading, post-course case studies and the examination.

At the meeting, TAC presented an overview of the growing numbers of trainees – from 11,975 in 596 training programs in 2013 to 26,200 trainees in 885 training programs in 2018. It also highlighted the 2019 annual training program that prioritizes techno-functional skills through 13 courses on topics such as fintech, digital, blockchain, AI, IoT, cybersecurity and business analytics.

Furthermore, the Committee announced the formation of four new committees to step up industry collaboration at all levels. The committees – Learning & Development, Emiratization, Women Leadership in Banking and Fintech Learning Lab – will report to TAC.

The objectives of these committees include offering suggestions on EIBFS’s programs, curricula and certifications, attracting UAE nationals to the banking sector, supporting active participation of women in the industry and proposing training to prepare the talent pool for the digital era of banking.

To learn more about the programs at EIBFS, please visit www.eibfs.ae.