Vikrant Bhansali serves as chief executive officer of United Bank for Africa Plc in Dubai,
where he leads the bank’s Middle East operations and strategic expansion across the
region. With more than 25 years of international banking experience spanning Sub-
Saharan Africa, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, North Africa and India, he brings
deep expertise in cross-border financial services and emerging markets.
Before joining UBA, he served as chief representative for international markets at DIFC
Authority, the government entity overseeing Dubai’s premier financial center.
His distinguished career in banking and financial markets includes serving as regional head
of institutional sales for Sub-Saharan Africa at Standard Chartered Bank and managing
director at Société Générale in London, where he spearheaded the bank’s Middle East
and North Africa regional expansion strategy.
Vikrant has held senior leadership positions across global financial institutions, including
Morgan Stanley in London, Citigroup in London, Dubai and Bahrain; HSBC in India; and
Arthur Andersen & Co. in India. His diverse experience across multiple markets positions
him uniquely to drive UBA’s mission as Africa’s global bank.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in law and is a CFA charter holder.
Vikrant is also qualified as a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India, where he ranked 18th nationally. He has served as a consultant for
the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) and as an independent nonexecutive
director in Kazakhstan.
