Citi Rolls Out Advanced AI to 175,000 Employees with UAE and Middle East & Africa in Focus

Citi Deploys Advanced AI Tools Across UAE and Middle East & Africa Operations

September 16, 2025

Citi has rolled out its AI toolset across the UAE and wider Middle East & Africa (MEA), extending access to employees as part of a global deployment. The initiative focuses on productivity, operational efficiency, and faster client service across core banking functions.

Scale and Coverage

The tools are now available to approximately 175,000 Citi employees across 80 jurisdictions. In MEA, availability spans more than 20 jurisdictions, supporting both regional operations and cross-border workflows.

What Operations Teams Can Expect

• Streamlined complex tasks with AI assistance embedded in daily workflows.
• Automation of routine processes to reduce turnaround times and manual error.
• Faster analysis of large datasets to support decisions and exception handling.
• More responsive, personalized client interactions across service channels.

Why It Matters for Ops

Operational leaders gain levers to reduce rework, shorten SLA cycles, and improve consistency. As teams shift repetitive work to AI-assisted flows, capacity opens for higher-value activities: root-cause analysis, control improvements, and client outcomes.

Leadership Perspective

Maria Ivanova, UAE and North Africa & Levant Sub-Cluster and Banking Head at Citi, said the rollout advances the bank's use of modern technology to better serve clients and support employees, with clear productivity gains expected across the region.

Shamsa Al-Falasi, Country Officer and Banking Head, Citibank N.A, UAE, highlighted that the UAE deployment strengthens internal capabilities and service quality, aligning with the nation's digital ambitions.

Execution Checklist for Operations Leaders

• Prioritize use cases with measurable throughput or quality impact (e.g., reconciliations, case triage, knowledge retrieval, client queries).
• Set data access and control rules early; enforce least-privilege access and auditability.
• Keep human-in-the-loop for sensitive decisions; document handoffs and escalation paths.
• Update SOPs and training to reflect AI-assisted steps and fail-safes.
• Monitor model outputs for bias, accuracy, and drift; involve risk and compliance.

Metrics to Track

• Turnaround time per case or ticket
• First-pass yield and error rate
• SLA adherence and backlog age
• Throughput per FTE and cost per transaction
• Client satisfaction (response time, resolution quality)
• Compliance exceptions and audit findings

Preparing Teams

• Run short enablement sessions on prompt quality, review standards, and data handling.
• Pilot with a small, well-defined process; expand after hitting target KPIs.
• Create clear feedback channels so frontline teams can flag issues and propose improvements.

Further Learning

If you're building an adoption plan and need structured upskilling for specific roles, see these AI courses by job.