Shaker Zainal

Head, Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund

As the head of Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF), a federal initative sponsored by the UAE Ministry of Finance to support innovators with affordable financing, Zainal is keenly involved with supporting the startup ecosystem. The MBRIF, operated by Emirates Development Bank, supports innovators through two programmes including the innovation accelerator and the guarantee scheme. A banker by profession, Shaker Zainal, who also serves as the Business Finance director at Emirates Development Bank, previously worked at HSBC, Mashreq Bank and Commercial Bank International.