Take on a challenge.
The bank sets the brief. Put your perspective to work on a real business problem, individually or as a team.
Find your area of impactA home for employee innovation
Your ideas deserve
an arena.
Bring a bold idea or take on a real challenge. Build it with AI, with the support to make a meaningful difference.
- Open to individuals and teams
- Six tracks, many formats
- A clear path from idea to delivery
Think boldly.
Build together.
Make it matter.
The opportunity
Every great idea needs a place to start.
You know the work. You see the possibilities. Innovation Arena connects that insight with the tools, people, and support to move it forward.
Bring your own idea.
Spotted a better way? Share the problem, your proposed solution, and the difference it could make.
Coming soonDesigned for employees at launch. Open to individual thinkers and collaborative teams.
Find your focus
Different strengths. Shared ambition.
Six tracks. Many ways to make a difference. Explore where your experience can unlock something better.
Make work flow better
Less friction. More forward.
Simplify processes, reduce repetitive steps, and give better ways of working a place to begin.
An idea to explore
What if a repetitive approval became a guided, intelligent workflow?
Choose the format that fits your idea.
Your entry can be a working build, a piece of content, or a well-argued plan. Deliverables can include:
Build
AI agentsChatbots & assistantsAI systems & appsAutomation & workflowsData & modelsDashboards & reportsPrototypes & demos
Content
Articles & explainersVideo & audioSocial & campaign contentArabic & bilingual contentTraining & playbooksPresentations & decks
Think
Research & analysisProcess redesignCustomer journey mapsBusiness casesPolicy & control proposals
From spark to impact
A bold beginning. A clear way forward.
Promising ideas need more than applause. They need a path from first thought to real, responsible delivery.
- 01
Share
Describe the problem and the difference your idea could make.
- 02
Evaluate
Refine the idea with feedback and a human-led committee review.
- 03
Build
Develop a prototype in the sandbox. Test, learn, and show the value.
- 04
Graduate
Complete the required reviews and agree who will own the solution.
- 05
Grow
Deliver, track adoption and outcomes, and keep improving.
Room to experiment
A little support. A lot of possibility.
Tools to build
AI coding assistants and developer access where needed to turn ideas into prototypes.
Space to test
A supported sandbox and hosting where needed for safe experimentation.
People to guide
Team collaboration, expert feedback, and opportunities to refine your idea.
Ready for the real world.
Graduating from the sandbox requires:
AI can inform the evaluation. People make the decisions.
- Committee approval
- Enterprise Architecture review, if needed
- Information Security review, if needed
- Named business and technical owners
Recognition and rewards
Great ideas get recognised.
Every entry is reviewed and every finalist is seen. The strongest ideas are celebrated, rewarded, and given the backing to become real.
Demo day
Shortlisted ideas are presented to the committee and senior leadership, with time to show the prototype and answer questions.
Awards
Winners are named in each track, with an overall Arena award for the idea that best combines impact, feasibility, and responsible use of AI.
Rewards
Winning individuals and teams receive prizes and formal recognition, and their achievement is reflected in their performance record.
Hall of fame
Winning ideas and their teams are featured for everyone to see, and the best receive sponsorship to take the solution into production.
Award categories and prizes are announced with each cycle.
How innovation is maintained
Beyond the demo.
Launch is a milestone. Lasting impact is the mission.
Give every solution a home.
A business owner is accountable for adoption and outcomes. A technical owner looks after operation, support, and continued development.
Make the impact visible.
Set a baseline and a target. Record actual results, complete delivery milestones, and make the value of adoption visible.
Keep learning after launch.
Use feedback and performance reviews to guide improvements, revisit priorities, and keep solutions useful as needs change.
Let good ideas build on each other.
Capture lessons, document what works, and reuse useful components. Fresh challenges and shared learning keep the next wave moving.
A few things to know
Questions, answered.
Who can take part?
Innovation Arena is designed for employees at launch. You can respond to a bank challenge or bring an idea of your own, individually or as a team.
Does my idea need to be fully built?
Start with the problem, the people it affects, and the change you want to create. The journey is designed to help promising ideas develop into prototypes and demonstrate their value.
How are ideas evaluated?
A committee considers impact, feasibility, innovation, and responsible use of AI. AI-generated advice can support evaluation, while the committee makes the decision.
What happens after the sandbox?
After committee approval, architecture and security reviews where needed, and agreement on business and technical owners, the focus moves to delivery, handover, adoption, and measured impact.
The next possibility starts with you
Got a “what if”? Give it an arena.
Idea submissions open soon. Start with something worth improving and give it a place to grow.
Watch this space for the opening date.