Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) has become the first bank in the UAE to let customers initiate payments from accounts held at other banks, straight from the CBD mobile app. The capability follows Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) approval for CBD to operate as a Third-Party Provider (TPP) under the Open Finance UAE initiative, AlTareq.
CBD switched on Open Finance in a live environment in December 2025, the first bank in the country to do so, and says the new step builds on that rollout. Customers can now view balances held at other banks and initiate payments from those accounts without leaving the CBD app, with additional services planned later this year.
ADIB was the first UAE bank licensed as a TPP in April, but its licence covers aggregating customer-permissioned data — seeing accounts held at other banks in one place. CBD’s approval covers initiating payments from those accounts. One shows you the money; the other moves it.
Fintechs got there first: Lean Technologies and Ziina launched the UAE’s first live open finance payments in January. CBD is the first bank to put the same mechanism inside its own app.
“Securing Third-Party Provider approval is a significant step in our Open Finance strategy. It enables us to enhance how customers manage their financial services while supporting the UAE’s digital transformation agenda.”
Dr. Bernd van Linder, chief executive of CBD
For customers, it means one app that can see every account and move money between banks.
“This approval allows us to extend the capabilities of the CBD mobile app beyond our own ecosystem. We are building a platform where customers can access and manage accounts across banks securely, with additional Open Finance services to follow later this year.”
Vladislavs Mironovs, chief digital officer at CBD
What the Open Finance UAE milestone means for customers
The framework runs on consent: nothing is shared or moved without the customer’s approval, under CBUAE oversight and via Nebras, the operator of the UAE’s Open Finance infrastructure. Banks join in phases, so the same capability is likely to appear in other apps before long.
The announcement does not say which banks are eligible; that detail usually lives in the fine print.
What happens next
CBD reported total assets of AED 154.5 billion and pre-tax profit of AED 1,885 million for the first half of 2026, and says additional Open Finance services will follow later this year.
Other banks are working the same front: ADCB launched an AI-powered banking app with investment trading in May. Open finance gives the rest of the sector a reason to follow.
What is open finance in the UAE?
Open finance is a framework run by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) under its AlTareq initiative. It lets customers securely share their financial data and initiate payments between banks and licensed providers, always with the customer’s consent. The infrastructure is operated by Nebras under CBUAE oversight.
Which banks can CBD customers pay from?
CBD says customers can initiate payments from eligible accounts held with other banks. The bank has not published the full list of eligible banks, so customers should check the CBD mobile app for which accounts are supported.
Is open finance the same as open banking?
Not quite. Open banking is the narrower term for sharing payment account data. Open finance extends the same consent-based model to a wider range of financial products, including insurance, investments and credit, which is why the UAE runs it as one framework.
