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Ahli United Bank

Banking & Finance

Ahli United Bank Overview

Ahli United Bank is Bahrain’s largest bank, providing services in corporate, retail, and private banking, as well as investments and wealth management.

It was established in 2000 following the merger of The United Bank of Kuwait and Al-Ahli Commercial Bank.

Its ordinary shares have been listed on the Bahrain Stock Exchange since 2000 and the Kuwait Stock Exchange since 2006.

Ahli United Bank currently has over 150 branches operating across Middle Eastern countries including the UAE, Egypt and Kuwait, as well as the UK.

Following its acquisition by Kuwait Finance House (KFH) in 2022, Ahli United Bank has converted into a fully Shariah-compliant bank. It plans to expand in emerging Islamic banking jurisdictions such as Egypt, the UK and Iraq.

Subsidiaries include the Commercial Bank of Iraq, the United Bank for Commerce & Investment and Al Hilal Life.

Ahli United Bank News

Traders look at the screens at Bahrain Bourse in Manama, Bahrain, February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Bahrain Bourse needs more liquidity despite 43% surge

The Bahrain Bourse has surged by almost 43 percent in the past five years, but experts have warned that the Gulf state must prioritise further listings to bring more liquidity into the market. The bulk of the growth on the kingdom’s main exchange has come from a select number of liquid stocks, topped by Aluminium […]

Core countries account for the majority of Islamic finance – the GCC accounted for 86 percent of growth in 2023

Growth doubts over Islamic finance despite trillions in assets

Islamic finance assets grew to about $3.3 trillion worldwide last year, but credit ratings agency S&P has warned that a planned industry standard could drive down sukuk issuance in 2025 and beyond.  S&P is predicting high single-digit growth in total assets in 2024-25 after an increase of 8 percent last year.  The agency expects the […]

GCC banks can save more than $3bn per year by merging branches and accelerating digitalisation

Mergers drive growth in Bahrain’s Islamic finance sector

When Al Salam Bank, one of the largest Islamic banks in Bahrain, became majority shareholder of its Algerian subsidiary last June, CEO Rafik Nayed made clear that the shopping spree was not over. Mergers and acquisitions “will remain an important pillar of our growth plans”, Nayed said – and last month Al Salam announced a […]

Banking and Bahrain Steel executives at the loan signing ceremony. The $450m will be used to build the world’s largest stockyard shed with rooftop solar panels

Bahrain Steel lands $450m loan for green transition

Bahrain Steel, a supplier of high-grade iron ore pellets, has secured a $450 million sustainability-linked loan from a consortium of regional banks as part of its carbon footprint reduction drive. The loan will be used to build the world’s largest stockyard shed with rooftop solar panels, in addition to meeting working capital requirements, Dubai-headquartered lender […]

Ahli United Bank is converting to Islamic finance

Islamic finance tops $3.3trn but growth challenges remain

Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest player in Islamic finance and the appetite for it in the kingdom is only growing. It has $830 billion of assets out of a global market estimated to be worth $3.3 trillion, according to Ayman al Sayari, the governor of the Saudi Central Bank. Just last week, when Saudi […]

Ahli United Bank Manama

Mergers push Islamic banking forwards in Bahrain

Hundreds of Islamic banking executives are descending on Bahrain next month for the Islamic Finance Innovation Day on May 30. Under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain, it will focus on embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing into Islamic finance. The event comes as analysts predict that Islamic banking’s market share will […]

Gulf banks take $950m hit on Turkish economic woes

The exposure of GCC banks to Turkey through their subsidiaries is increasingly credit-negative due to deteriorating operating conditions in the country, according to analysts. But Gulf-based banks are unlikely to exit Turkey despite the challenging conditions, mainly because of the lack of potential buyers, said Fitch Ratings in a new research note released on Tuesday. […]

Gulf banks move step closer to creating $115bn new lender

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) has made a firm offer to buy Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank (AUB). The bumper deal would create the Gulf’s seventh-largest lender with $115 billion in assets. In a statement on the Bahrain Stock Exchange on Monday, AUB said it had received a notice of firm intention from KFH to acquire 100 […]