I'm with EmiratesNBD, and I have to say, they are pretty ok. They have made a mess of a TT once, but it was quickly sorted.
Just to reiterate - the banks you see here are NOT what they appear. Case in point - I bank with HSBC Premier in the UK, and in a few other places, and so when I moved, logically, I went to see HSBC Premier in Jebel Ali.
The building is labelled HSBC.
The logos are HSBC.
The person serving me had a name badge saying HSBC.
I was offered HSBC leaflets.
The cheque book and cards look familiar to an HSBC customer.
But - IT IS NOT HSBC.
It is an entirely separate company that uses the HSBC brand under licence. They cannot transfer money quickly to HSBC in the UK or elsewhere, and you won't get your UK branch to give you a reference (since they can't share data outside the group).
If it all went wrong, don't bother running to HSBC in HK or London in tears.
Caveat emptor!
TA