I’m Kuldeep, Head of the Banking Team at DhanGuard. This is a question I receive quite often from founders who are familiar with Citibank's global presence.

In general, Citibank UAE no longer focuses on traditional SME or retail business banking. Instead, its business banking services are primarily offered through Citi Commercial Bank (CCB), which serves mid-sized companies, large corporations, and businesses with international operations.

This means that if you're a newly established startup or a small local business, Citibank is usually not the first option I would recommend.

Here's a quick overview:

Since Citi Commercial Bank works with larger and internationally active businesses, the onboarding process is naturally more comprehensive. Companies are typically expected to provide detailed corporate documentation, financial information, and evidence of their international operations. As a result, account opening can take anywhere from around 3 weeks to 10 weeks or longer, depending on the complexity of the business and the compliance review.

Whenever clients ask me about Citibank, I usually ask about the size of their business first. If you're running an early-stage company or an SME in the UAE, there are often more practical banking options with faster onboarding. However, if your company has an international footprint, operates across multiple countries, or requires sophisticated cross-border banking services, Citibank can be a strong long-term banking partner.