Abu dhabi: Bain and Company and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on identifying and prioritising AI use cases for sustainability. This partnership aims to advance sustainable finance opportunities across the Middle East and North Africa by 2030.

According to Emirates News Agency, the agreement builds on ongoing work, featured by the World Economic Forum, demonstrating how AI-enabled tools could help identify and unlock up to US$200 billion in sustainable finance opportunities in the region. The focus will be on identifying, prioritising, prototyping, and scaling AI use cases that expand sustainable finance deployment, enhance sustainability risk management, and support SMEs in their sustainability journeys.

Wissam Yassine, Partner and Leader of Bain and Company’s Sustainability Practice in the Middle East, stated that combining financial expertise with advanced analytics can accelerate capital flows into sustainable projects. He noted that AI enables faster insight, better risk assessment, and scalable impact, which are critical to meeting shared climate ambitions.

Shargiil Bashir, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at First Abu Dhabi Bank, highlighted that partnering with Bain and Company allows the translation of AI innovation into tangible progress for the region’s sustainability agenda. The collaboration aims to redefine how financial institutions source, evaluate, and track sustainable finance opportunities, ensuring that every dollar deployed delivers measurable environmental and social value.

The collaboration reflects a growing momentum across the financial sector to embed digital tools into sustainability strategies. By combining Bain’s advisory and transformation experience with FAB’s market leadership and data-driven approach, the partnership seeks to shape practical models for mobilising private capital and scaling the transition to a low-carbon economy.