EVIDENT AI INDEX | BANKS
The standard benchmark of AI maturity for banks across the Middle East & Africa
INTRODUCING THE EVIDENT AI INDEX FOR BANKS - MEA
Middle East and Africa (2026 edition)
The Evident AI Index for Banks – MEA edition sets the standard benchmark of AI maturity across the Middle East & Africa.
As the most comprehensive and independent benchmark of its kind, the Index assesses how 25 of the region's largest banks are adopting, scaling and embedding AI across their organizations.
Drawing on millions of publicly available data points, it evaluates performance against 60+ indicators across four critical pillars of AI capability: Talent, Innovation, Leadership and Transparency.
Together, these measures offer an unparalleled view of the state of AI in banking across the Middle East & Africa, revealing who is leading the race, where momentum is building across the region and where the biggest opportunities lie.
COMPANY ▼ | RANK | TALENT | INNOVATION | LEADERSHIP | TRANSPARENCY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emirates NBD | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
Standard Bank Group | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
First Abu Dhabi Bank | 3 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Nedbank Group | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
FirstRand | 5 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 5 |
Capitec Bank | 6 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
Absa Group | 7 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
Bank Leumi le-Israel | 8 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 12 |
Al Rajhi | 9 | 2 | 20 | 13 | 23 |
Mashreq | 10 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 18 |
Investec | 11 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 8 |
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank | 12 | 14 | 19 | 3 | 9 |
Bank Hapoalim | 13 | 10 | 12 | 21 | 15 |
Arab Bank Group | 14 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
Israel Discount Bank | 15 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Qatar National Bank | 16 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 6 |
Attijariwafa Bank | 17 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 21 |
National Bank of Kuwait | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 13 |
Banque Misr | 19 | 15 | 15 | 24 | 20 |
Riyad Bank | 20 | 23 | 16 | 20 | 17 |
Dubai Islamic Bank | 21 | 24 | 23 | 14 | 7 |
Kuwait Finance House | 22 | 22 | 22 | 12 | 19 |
Saudi National Bank | 23 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 21 |
Saudi Awwal Bank | 24 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 25 |
National Bank of Egypt | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 24 |
TRUSTED BY THE LEADERS SHAPING THE AI TRANSFORMATION IN FINANCIAL SERVICES
READ THE KEY FINDINGS
Key Findings Report
Evident AI Index | Banks - MEA Report
The Key Findings Report offers a definitive view of the state of AI for banks in the Middle East and Africa based on the Evident AI Index rankings. Dive deeper into the performance profiles of the region's most AI-first banks, the challenges they face, and the trends to watch.
30 JUNE | 2026 RESULTS ROUNDTABLE
Join top AI executives from the region’s leading banks to unpack the results of the inaugural edition Evident AI Index for Banks - MEA and explore what the region's frontrunners are doing differently.
HOW FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRMS WORK WITH US
AI BENCHMARKING
Assess your organization’s AI maturity with our private and public benchmarking services.
INTELLIGENCE
Track AI adoption, investment and innovation across financial institutions with our proprietary databases and trend reports.
COMMUNITY
Connect with visionaries and thought leaders driving AI transformation at exclusive events.
NEWS
Stay ahead of the curve with the latest, curated insights on the technologies, policies and innovations.
METHODOLOGY
The Evident AI Index is an "outside-in" assessment based on publicly available data from company reporting and a range of third-party data sources. It is built with input from leading subject matter experts in financial services, technology, and benchmarking.
The Evident AI Index for Banks - MEA edition features 25 of the largest banks across the Middle East & Africa. Each entity is assessed on 65 individual indicators across four pillars of analysis:
PILLAR
WEIGHTING
SUB PILLARS
INDICATOR GROUPS
Talent
Capability & development
45%
Talent Capability
AI Development / Model Risk Talent / Implementation Talent
Talent Development
Hiring Initiatives / Training & Career Development
Innovation
Research, patents, ventures, ecosystem
25%
Research & Patents
Research / Patents
Ventures & Partnerships
Ventures / Partnerships
Open Source
Ecosystem
Leadership
in public communications and strategy
20%
AI Narrative
Content / Outcomes
Executive Positioning
CEO / Group Leadership
Transparency
of responsible AI activities
10%
RAI Talent
RAI Talent
RAI Innovation
Process / Outputs
RAI Leadership
RAI Content
GET IN TOUCH
Fill out the form and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss how we can support your organization.