Commercial Bank of Dubai boosts AI literacy and productivity with Microsoft 365 Copilot, saving 39,000 hours

Since 1969, Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) has been serving businesses and individuals with their customer-centric approach to banking. More recently, this keen focus on the customer experience has been enhanced through state-of-the-art digital channels across the Bank’s suite of banking tools and platforms. Today, CBD plays a vital role in the UAE economy, supporting the individuals and businesses that drive the local economy with innovation and digital transformation across financial services. 

At the heart of CBD’s success is its focus on three key strategic pillars of AI: workplace modernization, operational efficiency, and experimenting for the future. Utilizing Microsoft 365 Copilot as a key enabler to modernize the workforce, CBD has seen exponential results in terms of internal productivity which in turn allows them to solve customer needs in a more efficient manner.  “We win together by delivering results that make a real impact for our customers,” explains Aisha Al Mazrouei, Head of Human Resources and Emiratization at Commercial Bank of Dubai. “And we develop the best talent in the United Arab Emirates by prioritizing AI. Part of that is equipping our staff with the best, most advanced technology to ensure an exceptional employee experience.” 

“Copilot’s AI-driven capabilities empower employees to work smarter, foster creativity, and build efficiency across all levels of the organization. This transformative approach enhances employee satisfaction by reducing mundane tasks and enabling focus on meaningful work,” shares Ali Khan, Head of Data and AI at Commercial Bank of Dubai. “Leveraging Copilot, CBD creates an environment where innovation thrives, preparing the workforce of tomorrow, attracting top talent, and reinforcing its reputation as a leader in the financial services industry.” 

AI-driven workforce modernization

CBD launched a workplace modernization initiative to encourage employees to adopt AI technologies. “We wanted to enhance productivity and empower employees to achieve more in less time,” recalls Al Mazrouei. “This efficiency and AI literacy was thought to give and has given our bank a competitive edge.” Employees across the bank expressed a strong need for tools to automate repetitive tasks, manage emails, summarize key information, and improve communication, especially in departments handling high volumes of correspondence. Many also wanted to streamline project management by automating meeting summaries and capturing action points instantly.

CBD chose Microsoft 365 Copilot as an AI assistant for its employees. “Working with Microsoft provides strong assurances that our data remains private and secure, with all necessary compliance measures in place. Microsoft also ensures ethical AI usage, aligning with industry standards,” adds Khan.

As part of Microsoft Copilot’s Early Adopter Program, CBD distributed licenses to 300 employees, prioritizing those who would benefit the most. This approach helped create a network of Copilot champions so that early adopters could inspire and guide their peers. “We also launched a learning-oriented email series, providing monthly insights on key Copilot features—how to use it in Word, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 applications—to maintain momentum,” says Khan.

Additionally, CBD hosted three prompt-a-thons in collaboration with the Microsoft Innovation Hub. The first two focused on department-specific use cases and refining prompts for daily tasks, while the third emphasized cross-departmental collaboration by pairing employees with executives to develop AI-driven solutions.  The prompt-a-thons lead to the creation of a library of “Super Prompts” that would be shareable across teams, catalyzing adoption and productivity gains. “Multiple teams partnered together, from Transformation, Legal, Audit, Credit, and HR, expanding their understanding of AI’s potential across the organization,” Khan remarks. “These events really inspired the entire organization. We saw a snowball effect where other employees started looking for new ways to improve daily work.” In just a few months, CBD achieved an 85% adoption rate, the highest adoption rate across all 900 early adopters.

CBD expanded its Microsoft 365 deployment to include its knowledge worker population, marking a pioneering step in the UAE banking industry. This strategic move underscores CBD’s commitment to fostering a digitally empowered workforce, enabling employees to leverage advanced AI tools for enhanced productivity, collaboration, and innovation. By adopting cutting-edge technologies like Microsoft 365 Copilot, CBD aligns itself with the UAE’s ambitions to become a global leader in the use of AI. This initiative not only positions CBD as a trailblazer in financial services but also reinforces its dedication to creating a future-ready workplace that supports the nation’s vision for technological advancement and economic growth.

Analyzing data faster with AI

As Copilot adoption grew, employees across departments discovered new ways to integrate AI into their workflows, especially when analyzing large sets of data or information. For example, the internal audit team uses it to review regulatory standards, identify inconsistencies, and generate structured risk matrices, eliminating manual data entry and formatting. “With Microsoft 365 Copilot, we automatically create Risk and Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) metrics, saving our team 56 hours each month,” shares Al Mazrouei.

Expanding AI adoption and learning

With Copilot now embedded in daily operations, CBD is focused on expanding knowledge sharing across the bank.  “To further enhance engagement, we planned numerous Copilot engagement sessions such as 3C CBD Copilot Week, to focus on Clarity, Control, and Confidence and purpose-led sessions with different departments to solve specific challenges identified by the department AI champions,” shares Khan. “In addition, knowledge of prompt engineering will help our team build AI literacy and produce high-quality deliverables that align with internal standards. This way, their onboarding journey is significantly streamlined,” adds Al Mazrouei.