Initiative wins D360 Bank's Saudi media account after a multi-agency pitch.
D360 Bank, a Saudi digital bank, has appointed Initiative as its media agency of record after a competitive multi-agency pitch, the agency says. The integrated mandate covers customer acquisition and brand building.
Initiative, part of the Middle East Communications Network (MCN) and Omnicom, announced the win on 21 September, after the two sides marked it at a signing at the Money20/20 fintech show in Riyadh on 15 September. D360, which describes itself as Saudi Arabia's first Shariah-compliant digital bank, says it has gained more than 3.4 million customers in under 18 months since it began operating in 2024. Initiative says its "Trust Engine", a full-funnel, performance-led framework designed for competitive, regulated categories, will sit at the centre of the work.
According to Rayan Alturki, D360's chief commercial officer, the partnership gives the bank the media expertise to reach more Saudis at scale. Lara Arbid, CEO of Initiative MENAT, described the agency's role as turning the bank's strong momentum into sustained, measurable growth. D360's licence was approved by the Saudi cabinet in 2022, with the Public Investment Fund among its main investors, Arab News reported at the time.
The story comes from the agency's announcement, and the customer figure is D360's own. The announcement does not give the account's value, the previous agency, the other agencies that pitched or the bank's creative agency.
Saudi digital banks are competing for customers in a closely regulated market, and D360's brief puts acquisition and trust-building in one media mandate. Agencies pitching fintech in the Kingdom should expect to be judged on both.
Why it matters
D360 wants one media agency to win customers and build trust at once. Agencies pitching Saudi fintech should be ready to prove they can do both.
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