FAB and Mastercard Launch Invitation-Only World Legend Card in the UAE

First Abu Dhabi Bank and Mastercard have launched a card that is available by invitation only, aimed at the bank's high-net-worth clients in the Emirates. The FAB Royale World Legend Exclusive Mastercard is the first card at Mastercard's World Legend Exclusive tier to be issued in the country.

Mastercard is rolling out World Legend, its newest consumer card tier, across global markets, and this launch sits inside that effort. It follows the McLaren Racing Mastercard Pass, which the two companies brought to the Emirates last year.

The card sits inside FAB's Royale franchise, the part of the business built around wealthy customers. Distribution is controlled by the bank rather than opened to public applications, and each holder is assigned a dedicated relationship manager. FAB points to security features on the card and to a set of benefits that stretch well past the Emirates.

Lifestyle and access

Perks attached to the card include:

• Support from the Royale Lifestyle Concierge
• Membership of the Mastercard Premium Lifestyle Program
• Meet-and-greet services at 60 destinations worldwide
• Access to global economic forums held with Bloomberg
• Entry to The Mastercard Collection

The Mastercard Collection covers priority restaurant reservations, presale access to event tickets and fast-track airport services at major hubs worldwide.

Travel runs through several of those benefits. Meet-and-greet services are offered at 60 destinations, and the fast-track airport option works at major hubs. The Bloomberg-linked economic forums add a business networking strand to a package that otherwise leans toward leisure.

The relationship manager is the structural piece of the offer: a named point of contact at the bank rather than a queue. FAB has not disclosed pricing, eligibility thresholds or how many cards it intends to issue.

Both sides on the record

"At FAB, our collaboration with Mastercard is all about creating meaningful value for our customers."

Yousef Nabil, vice president and head of Royale and UHNI Cards at FAB, framed the partnership that way.

"The FAB Royale World Legend Exclusive Mastercard embodies the shared commitment of Mastercard and FAB to bring first-of-its-kind, differentiated products to market."

Gina Petersen-Skyrme, senior vice president and country manager for the UAE and Oman at Mastercard, said the card carries that shared aim.

Both companies describe the launch as a first for the local market. The tier itself is new for Mastercard, which has been introducing it market by market with issuing partners.

The McLaren Racing Mastercard Pass was the pair's previous joint release in the Emirates, arriving last year. The Royale card now extends FAB's wealth franchise into a tier that has no local counterpart so far.