The bank is working with IBM on the project, applying the vendor's MobileFirst for iOS Banking apps and Bluemix cloud technology to speed the development and deployment of future releases.

The Studio will include experts from IBM Design and IBM Interactive Experience, who will work side-by-side with ADIB to create a new generation of apps, capable of providing a more engaging and elegant user experience to fend off competition from non-bank competitors.

“ADIB aims to be the best digital bank in the UAE and continuously invests in cutting edge technologies to enhance customer experience and introduce innovative new products and solutions to meet the evolving needs of its customers,” says Sagheer Mufti, COO, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank. “This studio will play a major role in driving the various initiatives and projects across the bank to accelerate its digital transformation.”

The open-standards-based Bluemix catalogue includes over 120 tools and services spanning categories of big data, mobile, Watson, analytics, integration, DevOps, security and Internet of Things.

“In today’s fast moving world, one ¼ inch swipe is all it takes to lose a customer forever” says Paul Papas, global leader, IBM Interactive Experience. “Working with ADIB we will be utilizing IBM Design Thinking to take a human centric approach to create experiences that are personalized, elegant, and empowering.”

To kick things off, the bank plans to roll out IBM's MobileFirst for iOS Trusted Advice app, to provide financial advisors with access to client portfolios for modelling and testing investment recommendations from their iPads.