Emirates NBD was formed in October 2007 through the merger of Emirates Bank International and the National Bank of Dubai — two of the UAE's oldest and most significant financial institutions. The combined entity became the largest bank in the UAE by assets, and one of the largest in the Middle East.
The older of the two predecessors, National Bank of Dubai, was established in 1963 — a full eight years before the formation of the UAE itself — making it one of the first modern banks to operate in the region. It was majority owned by the Government of Dubai and played a central role in financing the emirate's early development.
Emirates Bank International was founded in 1977, in the years following union. Over the following decades it grew into a significant retail and commercial force, and in the process acquired Middle East Bank, which had been established in Dubai in 1976. Rather than absorbing it outright, EBI eventually used Middle East Bank as the vehicle for a dedicated Islamic banking operation, relaunching it as Emirates Islamic — which continues today as a separate entity and will be covered in its own entry.
The 2007 merger, driven by a Government of Dubai directive to consolidate its banking interests, united the two institutions under the Emirates NBD name. The group has since expanded significantly, acquiring BNP Paribas Egypt in 2013 and Denizbank in Turkey in 2019.