First Abu Dhabi Bank engages Bain & Company for AI-driven sustainability transformation
First Abu Dhabi Bank has launched a new muti-year transformation aimed at accelerating its sustainability goals through artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, bringing Bain & Company on board as its consulting partner.
Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the partnership will see Bain & Company advise First Abu Dhabi Bank on identifying AI use cases for sustainability across areas including sustainable finance deployment, risk management, and how the bank supports its SME client base in their sustainability journeys.
With total assets of AED 1.40 trillion (approximately $380 billion) as of January 2026, First Abu Dhabi Bank is the UAE’s largest bank. The institution provides a full spectrum of financial services, including corporate, investment and personal banking, with an international network spanning 20 markets across five continents.
Sustainability is a key pillar of its long-term strategy. First Abu Dhabi Bank is committed to achieving net-zero emissions for its operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030 and financed emissions (Scope 3) by 2050. The bank also plans to facilitate more than $135 billion in sustainable and transition finance by 2030, focusing on renewable energy, green projects and the development of a low-carbon economy.
“Partnering with Bain & Company allows us to translate AI innovation into tangible progress for the region’s sustainability agenda,” said Shargiil Bashir, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at First Abu Dhabi Bank. “Together, we aim to redefine how we source, evaluate and track sustainable finance opportunities, helping ensure every dollar deployed delivers measurable environmental and social value.”
After identifying and analysing potential AI use cases, Bain & Company will then guide the next phases of the programme – prioritising, prototyping and scaling the solutions selected for roll-out.
According to Wissam Yassine, Partner and Leader of Bain & Company’s Sustainability practice in the Middle East, First Abu Dhabi Bank could unlock a wide range of benefits through AI. Previous research from Bain & Company, for instance, found that in the domain of sustainable finance alone, AI-enabled tools have the potential to generate $200 billion in opportunities across the Middle East and North Africa by 2030.
“AI enables faster insight, better risk assessment and scalable impact, which are critical to meeting climate ambitions,” said Yassine.
Bain & Company was selected for the project for its expertise in sustainability as well as artificial intelligence. The firm is a Global Partner of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, DALL-E and Sora, among other AI tools.
