Dubai, UAE, 17 August 2026: Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) has become the first bank in the UAE to enable customers to initiate payments from accounts held with other banks directly through the CBD mobile app. The milestone follows CBD becoming one of the first banks in the UAE to receive approval from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) to operate as a Third-Party Provider (TPP) under the country's Open Finance Initiative.
Building on its successful activation of Open Finance in a live environment in December 2025, CBD continues to drive the practical adoption of Open Finance in the UAE. The latest capability gives customers greater convenience and control by allowing them to initiate payments from eligible accounts held with other banks through a single banking app experience.
This milestone supports development of Open Finance capabilities within the CBD mobile app. As a result, customers will be able to view balances held with other banks and initiate payments directly from those accounts, with additional services planned later this year. These capabilities position the CBD mobile app as a central platform, providing customers with visibility across their accounts and enabling seamless management of payments with other banks driving more connected and data-driven experiences.
CBD is leading the roll-out of Open Finance in the UAE, and this has also been recognised globally, with two Global Economics Awards for Best Leadership in Advancing Open Finance and Leading Bank in Open Finance Implementation.
Commenting on this milestone, Dr. Bernd van Linder, Chief Executive Officer of CBD, said
"Securing Third-Party Provider approval is a significant step in our Open Finance strategy. It enables us to enhance how customers manage their financial services while supporting the UAE’s digital transformation agenda.”
Vladislavs Mironovs, Chief Digital Officer at CBD, added "This approval allows us to extend the capabilities of the CBD mobile app beyond our own ecosystem. We are building a platform where customers can access and manage accounts across banks securely, with additional Open Finance services to follow later this year."
The UAE’s Open Finance framework is expected to accelerate innovation by enabling secure, consent-based data sharing between licensed participants.
CBD continues to invest in digital transformation, with Open Finance as a key pillar of its strategy, as it prepares to roll out new capabilities to customers in line with regulatory requirements and industry innovations in digital banking.