- The Academy offers certified, inclusive, and business-aligned learning to embed in-demand skills at the core of DIB’s growth strategy
- With long-term ambition built into its design, the Academy is set to extend its learning model beyond the bank to empower professionals and institutions across the region.
Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the UAE’s largest Islamic bank, has announced the launch of the DIB Academy, a new institutional platform designed to embed structured, certified, and inclusive learning across the bank. Built to serve every employee, in every function and at every level, the Academy represents a fundamental shift in how the bank views workforce development: not as a support mechanism, but as a strategic driver of performance, resilience, and relevance in an increasingly complex world.
Dr. Adnan Chilwan, Group Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Islamic Bank, commented: “No institution can sustain its leadership without investing in the intellectual depth of its people. The DIB Academy is not about training for today — it is about capability for tomorrow. This initiative reflects our long-term view that knowledge is infrastructure and skills are capital. We are embedding structured learning into the DNA of our organisation, not only to serve our growth, but to elevate professional standards across the sector.
Establishing the Academy reflects our conviction that education is not the sole domain of academic institutions, but a shared responsibility for any organisation committed to long-term progress. This commitment aligns with the UAE’s National Strategy for Higher Education 2030, supporting national efforts to build a knowledge-based economy anchored in skills, innovation, and human capital.
As part of our strategic growth agenda, the Academy marks a deliberate move to extend DIB’s impact beyond banking, offering learning and certification programmes that contribute to building sector-wide capabilities and future-ready talent across the region.”
The DIB Academy follows a progressive, multi-phase roadmap that initially focused on upskilling all employees through certified, inclusive learning journeys. The next phase will see the Academy expanding its impact through collaborations with academic institutions, regulatory entities, and industry partners enabling others to benefit from DIB’s internal expertise, content, and certification frameworks. Over time, the Academy aspires to play a broader role within the UAE’s professional learning landscape, reinforcing DIB’s position not only as a leader in Islamic banking, but as a contributor to national capability and knowledge-driven growth.
Rafia Al Abbar, Head of Human Resources at Dubai Islamic Bank added: “The DIB Academy is a strategic institution within the bank, built on three key principles: alignment with business priorities, accessibility for all employees, and academic-grade quality. We have partnered with internationally accredited institutions, but we have also built significant internal capability — creating content in-house, governed by a robust framework that includes senior leaders, HR, and subject matter experts. It is about ensuring relevance, measurability, and most importantly, impact. The goal is simple: to embed learning into the fabric of how we perform, grow, and lead”
The Academy offers internally developed curricula, vocational certifications, and modular learning journeys tailored to functional realities, supporting all employees, from front-line staff to specialised roles.
Programmes span technical, behavioural, leadership, and regulatory domains — offering employees a clear, certified, and applied learning journey that evolves with the demands of the business. Learning is embedded into roles, not added on top of them, and is treated as a driver of growth rather than a reactive tool.
As part of its launch, the bank honoured its academic partners and top-performing learners from 2024, recognising those who demonstrated excellence and commitment to continuous development throughout the Academy’s foundation phase.
With the launch of DIB Academy, Dubai Islamic Bank reaffirms its belief that institutional strength begins with people, and that skills, not status, will define the success of the next generation of financial leaders.
About Dubai Islamic Bank:
Established in 1975, Dubai Islamic Bank is the largest Islamic bank in the UAE by assets and a public joint stock company listed on the Dubai Financial Market. Spearheading the evolution of the global Islamic finance industry, DIB is also the world’s first full service Islamic bank and amongst the largest Islamic banks in the world. With Group assets more than reaching USD90 billion and market capitalisation of more than USD 14bln, the group operates with a workforce of more than 10,000 employees and around 500 branches in its vast global network across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Serving over 5 million customers across the Group, DIB offers an increasing range of innovative Shariah compliant products and services to retail, corporate and institutional clients.
In addition to being the first and largest Islamic bank in the UAE, DIB has a significant international presence as a torchbearer in promoting Shariah-compliant financial services across a number of markets worldwide. The bank has established DIB Pakistan Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary which is the first Islamic bank in Pakistan to offer Priority & Platinum Banking, as well as the most extensive and innovative portfolio of Alternate Distribution Channels. The launch of Panin Dubai Syariah Bank in Indonesia early in 2017 marks DIB’s first foray in the Far East, the bank owns a nearly 25% stake in the Indonesian bank. Additionally, in May 2017, Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC was given the licence by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to operate its subsidiary, DIB Kenya Ltd. DIB has been designated as D-SIB (Domestic Systemically Important Bank) in 2018 in UAE. In early 2020, DIB completed the acquisition of Noor Bank, which solidifies its position as a leading bank in the global Islamic finance industry. In 2023, DIB entered Turkey through a 20% acquisition of T.O.M. Group which provides digital banking services.
DIB is committed to leading the way in sustainable Islamic financing, with a total sustainable sukuk issuances of USD 2.75 billion to date and strategic involvement in green and sustainable capital markets, reflecting the bank’s ongoing dedication to ESG principles and a sustainable future.
The bank’s ultimate goal is to make Islamic finance the norm, rather than an alternative to conventional banking worldwide. DIB has won a range of accolades that are testament to these efforts across diversified areas, including retail, corporate and investment banking, as well as CSR and consultancy services. DIB has been named the Best Islamic Bank in various prestigious ceremonies and recognised for its outstanding performance amongst the world’s Islamic Banks, marking it a clear indication of the bank’s leadership position in the Islamic finance sector.
