Zand Bank

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Overview

Zand Bank is a UAE digital bank operated by Zand Bank PJSC, which received a full UAE banking license from the Central Bank of the UAE and went live around 2022 [1, 2]. Zand positions itself as the UAE's first independent digital bank serving both retail and corporate clients under one license, with a technology-driven model and an emphasis on digital assets and innovation.

History

2021-2022 — License + launch [1, 2]: Zand secured a full banking license from the Central Bank of the UAE and launched as a digital-first bank, initially targeting corporates and then retail.

2023-2024 — Expansion + digital-assets focus [2]: Zand expanded its retail and corporate offerings and signaled ambitions around digital assets and tokenization within the UAE's evolving regulatory framework.

Ownership & operator

Operating entity: Zand Bank PJSC (UAE).

Leadership: Founded with backing from prominent UAE business figures; chaired/backed by Mohamed Alabbar (founder of Emaar) among others [2].

Regulator: Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE).

Technical integration

Layer	Description
Channels	Zand mobile app (iOS + Android) + web + card
Identifiers	Phone + email + IBAN + card number
UAE rails	UAEFTS / local clearing; card networks
Card network	Card issuance for retail clients
Wallets	Apple Pay + Google Pay via EMV tokenization
Distinctive	Single license covering both retail + corporate; digital-assets ambitions

Implementations & partners

Operator: Zand Bank PJSC (CBUAE-licensed bank).

Competitors: [[wio-bank]] (UAE digital bank), [[liv]] / Mashreq Neo, and incumbent UAE banks (Emirates NBD, FAB, ADCB).

Status

Active [1, 2]:

Zand Bank PJSC — full UAE banking license; dual retail + corporate digital bank.
Technology-driven model with digital-assets ambitions.
Precise current customer/financial metrics not consistently disclosed in verifiable public form (~).

Sources

Source

Biography extracted from zand-bank.md. See matrix.md for standards-support matrix if present.