Fintech speed, bank-grade control: instant lending and family banking on one platform
NBB is the bank others measure themselves against in one of the Gulf's most digitally contested markets. Bahrain's systemic institution rebuilt its retail foundation on Backbase, launching a unified mobile and online banking experience in 2021 and extending the platform into two market firsts: zero-touch digital lending with instant disbursement, and a family banking model that builds financial literacy from childhood.
EUROMONEY:
In an AI-driven world, legacy systems don’t just slow you down — they shut you out of real growth. To compete, banks need a modular foundation built for speed, intelligence, and scale.
Bahrain’s Best Bank
MENA Banking Excellence Award
In an AI-driven world, legacy systems don’t just slow you down — they shut you out of real growth. To compete, banks need a modular foundation built for speed, intelligence, and scale.
Best Retail Bank in Bahrain
Manama, Bahrain
In an AI-driven world, legacy systems don’t just slow you down — they shut you out of real growth. To compete, banks need a modular foundation built for speed, intelligence, and scale.
is the headquarters
Objectives
NBB's retail digital strategy had two sides. Better experiences would drive customer growth. Operational efficiency would fund the continuous innovation to maintain that growth. NBB sought a solution that would reduce cost-to-serve, automate manual processes, and free up resources for innovation rather than maintenance.
Solution
NBB chose Backbase as its long-term strategic partner. The decision answered both sides of the mandate at once: the customer experience NBB wanted to deliver, and the operational efficiency to sustain it at scale.
Results
The foundation went live in 2021. Onboarding dropped to under six minutes. Customers gained instant access to account management, card origination, and new credit lines from a single experience.
"We needed fintech speed with bank-grade control, and a partner who can deliver both. With Backbase, we move fast where the journeys are proven, and we differentiate where it earns us competitive advantage. It's how we lead."
Backbase
One platform for every generation of banking
Backbase
See how NBB unified every channel - then launched zero-touch lending and family banking on one platform.