• Major banks in Dubai moved staff to remote work amid rising Middle East tensions and potential threats to financial centers.
• Citigroup evacuated offices in DIFC and Oud Metha, while Standard Chartered extended its work-from-home advisory for employee safety.
• HSBC temporarily closed Qatar branches, emphasizing staff and customer safety, highlighting regional banks’ precautionary measures amid geopolitical uncertainty.

Dubai Banks

Banks in Dubai have been stepping up precautions amid rising geopolitical tensions. This comes after Iran signaled that it is willing to target economic centers and banks with ties to the United States.

U.S. financial giant Citigroup began evacuating offices in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Dubai’s Oud Metha neighbourhood. Furthermore, it gave its employees instruction to work from home until further notice.

Reuters reports that a spokesperson for the bank said it was continuing to take measures to keep staff safe. Additionally, it has contingency plans in place to ensure business continuity. Additionally, a spokesperson from the bank spoke to the New York Times, stating that the majority of its staff in the UAE was already working remotely. Moreover, it was indicated that the decision to empty its offices was made “out of an abundance of caution.”

Work from Home Notices

Standard Chartered had previously put into place a work from home advisory in Dubai. On Wednesday 11th March, 2026, it extended this advisory to ensure the safety of its employees. However, it affirms that its service will continue normally through remote work arrangements.

In neighboring Qatar, H.S.B.C temporarily closed all three of its bank branches. In a statement, the bank said: “The safety of our colleagues and customers remains our top priority.”