Financial Markets and Banking Center of Excellence
The UAE and GCC financial markets are evolving rapidly, creating a wealth of opportunities for innovation, leadership and sustainable growth. Financial institutions face increasingly complex risks, stringent regulatory demands, rapid digital transformation and a growing need for specialized skills. To navigate this landscape, there is a pressing need for centralized knowledge, integrated research, advisory services and expertise in priority areas such as risk management, corporate governance, fintech, AI, blockchain and SME finance.
The FMB Center of Excellence, based at the AUS School of Business Administration, serves as a dynamic hub for knowledge, research and collaboration. By leveraging the school’s world-class academic infrastructure, faculty expertise and international partnerships, the center enhances the UAE’s long-term competitiveness, reinforcing its position as a leading global financial hub.
Vision
To be the GCC’s premier center for knowledge and expertise, driving financial innovation, competitiveness and the growth of financial markets and institutions in the UAE and the region.
Mission
- To provide actionable policy insights and regulatory recommendations for financial markets and institutions, based on cutting-edge research, advanced quantitative methods and analytical expertise
- To support innovation and facilitate the adoption of efficient digital technologies across the UAE and GCC
- To cultivate world-class talent through advanced training programs and specialized skill-building initiatives in the UAE and the wider GCC
Our Impact
Driving Competitiveness and Innovation
The center strengthens the UAE’s financial ecosystem by:
- enhancing banking competitiveness, human capital and innovation
- attracting global talent
- engaging specialist firms
- fostering private-sector collaboration
The center works closely with existing initiatives such as the Interactive Trading Floor, which provides hands-on experience in trading, risk management and fintech applications, and the Endowed Chair in Banking and Finance, supported by the Bank of Sharjah, which advances applied research on regulatory, sustainability and market challenges.
Alignment with UAE Priorities
The center addresses national and regional priorities, including sustainable finance, digital transformation and financial stability. The GCC banking sector—blending traditional banking, Islamic finance and modern financial services—supports economic growth. The UAE’s strategic agenda targets doubling the economy, developing crypto markets and modernizing regulations. Financial hubs like Dubai International Finance Centre already position the UAE as the largest fintech ecosystem in the Middle East.
The center advances these priorities through its three integrated pillars:
Capacity Building and Skills Enhancement Programs
evelops human capital through executive education and professional programs, equipping leaders to implement the UAE’s strategic financial agenda—directly supporting national goals for financial sector innovation and competitiveness
Advisory, Consulting and Innovation in Product Development
Provides strategic guidance and innovative solutions that help institutions meet regulatory standards, improve banking sector competitiveness and contribute to the UAE’s ambition to become a global financial hub
Sectorial Research and Data Analytics
Generates actionable insights that inform policy and governance, aligning research outcomes with the UAE’s and GCC’s strategic financial priorities
These pillars are realized through a combination of:
- executive programs and applied research
- consulting projects
- conferences, workshops and forums connecting academics, industry leaders, policymakers and regulators
Our Experts
Our faculty members bring a broad range of expertise across corporate finance, corporate governance, banking—including Islamic banking—and international investments.
Their research spans critical areas such as:
Financial Stability
Systematic risk management, financial regulation, regulatory and supervisory framework
Bank Regulation
Financial crime, anti-money laundering, cyber-crime, investor protection, enhancing investor confidence and trust in financial markets, bank governance, monitoring mechanisms, risk management at financial institutions
FinTech (Financial Technology)
Financial innovation, digital banking, distributed ledger technology, crypto-currencies, digital assets, artificial intelligence (AI), innovative financial market infrastructure, digital infrastructure
Banking and Accounting
Financial accounting information, financial fraud, forensic accounting
ESG and Green Finance
Climate risk, ethical finance, asset management services, credit services, syndicated lending, collective investment funds, asset-backed securities, custody and trust services, commodities derivatives, Islamic finance, insurance, shadow banking, retirement plans, pensions
Financial Sector Development
Diversity of the financial sector, development of the debt securities markets and the derivatives (risk hedging) markets, competitiveness of the financial sector, sustainability, diversity of the financial sector, bank performance, bank productivity, bank globalization, financial institutions efficiency, quality of human capital in the banking and financial sector
Explore more about our faculty member’s research themes and applied impact below.
- Research Themes
The FMB Center of Excellence faculty also emphasize broader empirical and cross-disciplinary research, including:
- Empirical Corporate Finance: Firm efficiency, performance, equity finance, IPOs, corporate governance, behavioral finance, dividend policy, capital structure and corporate bonds
- Empirical Banking: Bank productivity, efficiency, risk management, competition, regulation, syndicated lending, corporate governance and globalization
- Empirical Asset Pricing: Portfolio management, asset price volatility, option pricing, stock returns and predictability, and stock market internationalization
- Quantitative Finance and Banking Applications: Financial economics, econometrics, shadow banking, fintech, cryptocurrencies and digital assets
- Cross-Disciplinary Themes: Real effects of finance on SMEs, entrepreneurship, innovation, poverty, inequality and life satisfaction; ethical and sustainable finance; microfinance; Islamic finance; corporate social responsibility and climate finance
- Applied Impact
Our faculty combine leading research with hands-on banking and finance experience. They publish in top journals, lead executive programs and deliver consulting projects that create real-world impact in Sharjah, the UAE and the region. Our programs’ rigor is recognized through partnerships and certifications with global organizations such as Bloomberg, CFA and CAIA, ensuring participants gain practical skills and insights.
Contact
Dr. Zaher Zantout
Professor Finance
Director of the Financial Markets and Banking Center of Excellence
[email protected]
+971 6 515 2347
Amal Alkadri
College Social Media and Event Coordinator
Coordinator of the Financial Markets and Banking Center of Excellence
[email protected]
+971 6 515 4405
