In the presence of the His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs, and Chairman of the Emirates Foundation, Emirates Foundation, in partnership with First Abu Dhabi Bank, has signed a number of strategic agreements with partners to launch the Financial Wellbeing and Sustainability Initiative that provides financial planning tools to UAE citizens and residents.

Also in attendance for the signings were His Excellency Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, and a number of Emirates Foundation board members, including His Excellency Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development (DCD), His Excellency Dr. Mubarak Saeed Al Shamsi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Centre of Technical Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET), His Excellency Mohammad Saeed Al Dhanhani, Director of Fujairah Emiri Court, His Excellency Malek Sultan Al Malek, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Holding Asset Management (DHAM), and His Excellency Saeed Rashed Al Zaabi, Advisor at the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs, as well as Hana Al Rostamani, Group Chief Executive Officer at First Abu Dhabi Bank, Futoon Al Mazrouei, Group Head of Consumer Banking at First Abu Dhabi Bank, His Excellency Hamad Ali Al Dhaheri, Undersecretary of the Department of Community Development, Her Excellency Sana Mohamad Suhail, Director General of Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, Hamad Al Mazrouei, Chairman of ADGM Academy and CEO of ADGM Registration Authority, and Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager GCC at Visa.

The agreements were signed at Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi, and aim to ensure provision of financial education and financial planning tools to UAE residents of all age groups.

His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs, and Chairman of the Emirates Foundation, said: “Today marks the start of a transformative journey towards financial empowerment and security for the people of the UAE. By leveraging the knowledge and experience of the country’s foremost financial talent, we aim to equip the community with the tools to navigate the complexities of modern-day finance with confidence.

“Adopting a highly collaborative approach spanning the public, private and third sectors, a comprehensive programme of activities will be developed under the Financial Wellbeing and Sustainability Initiative to help community members in their finance journey. I would like to sincerely thank our partners for their valuable collaboration; with the help of their extensive expertise, we can enrich the lives of thousands of families and ensure a resilient future.

In collaboration with founding partner First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and strategic partners the Central Bank of the UAE, Department of Community Development, ADGM Academy, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, Visa, and the Ministry of Education, the initiative aims to promote financial literacy and empower UAE residents to make informed financial decisions. In doing so, it is hoped that a more financially literate population will benefit the country’s future economic growth.

The signing ceremony was conducted by Mohanna Al Mheiri, Deputy CEO of Emirates Foundation, Futoon Al Mazrouei, Group Head of Consumer Banking at First Abu Dhabi Bank, Fatma Al Jabri, Assistant Governor for Financial Crime, Market Conduct and Consumer Protection at the Central Bank of the UAE, Mohamed Helal Balooshi, Community Engagement and Sports Executive Director at DCD, His Excellency Thamer Rashed Al Qasimi, Executive Director - Special Projects and Partnerships Sector at Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, Hamad Al Mazrouei, Chairman of ADGM Academy and CEO of ADGM Registration Authority, Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager GCC at Visa and Dr. Sameera Abdulla Al Hosani, Director of the Humanities Curriculum and Languages Department at the Ministry of Education.

The new initiative covers a wide range of activities and topics, such as the creation of a comprehensive financial wellbeing platform, events and competitions, online and face-to-face workshops, educational programmes, debt management, and support of the fintech industry for financial education.