Today's Edition
A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) topped the list of the 30 largest banks in the Middle East and Africa compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, with Qatar National Bank slipping to second place from the previous top position.
FAB secured the top rank with total assets of $382.2 billion at the end of 2025, maintaining the UAE’s leadership position in the regional banking landscape.
Among other UAE lenders, Emirates NBD retained its fourth position in the ranking, continuing to feature among the region’s largest banks by assets.
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank slipped one place to ninth, reflecting a marginal shift in rankings, while Dubai Islamic Bank held steady at 19th position.
Mashreq Bank improved its standing, moving up to 22nd place from 24th, while Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank retained its 29th position.
In total, six UAE banks featured in the top 30 list, underlining the strength and scale of the country’s banking sector within the Middle East and Africa region.
The ranking, based on total assets, also highlights the UAE’s dominant position at the country level.
According to the data, UAE banks accounted for the largest share of total assets in the sample, with approximately $1.19 trillion, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Israel.
S&P Global Market Intelligence also highlighted the recent achievements of the UAE’s largest lender, which has now emerged as the biggest bank across the Middle East and Africa.
FAB expanded its presence to more than 20 markets and strengthened corridor flows across the Gulf, Africa, Asia and Europe in 2025, Group CEO Hana Al Rostamani said in the lender’s annual report.
The bank recorded a 17% year-on-year increase in loans and advances to Dh616 billion, reflecting gains in market share across geographies and business lines.
As part of its expansion strategy, FAB applied for a three-year guarantee of up to $550 million to support small businesses and climate finance-related projects in Egypt. The guarantee, granted by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, is expected to free up risk-weighted asset capacity at the group level.
During the year, the bank also joined China’s cross-border interbank payment system and opened a representative office in Turkey. Customer deposits rose 7% year-on-year to Dh841 billion, supported by diversification efforts.
FAB further improved its asset quality, with the non-performing loan ratio declining by 1.21 percentage points to 2.2%, marking an all-time low.
In terms of representation, Saudi Arabia had the highest number of banks in the list with seven, followed by the UAE with six. Israel accounted for five banks, South Africa had four, while Kuwait and Egypt had two banks each. Qatar, Morocco, and Jordan were represented by one bank each.
