Company Insights First Abu Dhabi Bank Banking and Finance Latest First Abu Dhabi Bank DevelopmentsAI Insights First Abu Dhabi Bank announced the highest cash dividend in its history due to higher annual revenues in 2024. The company paid AED8.3 billion in cash dividends for the year at 75 fils per share, representing 51 percent of group net profit. Its net profit rose 7 percent year on year to AED17 billion, with revenue increasing 15 percent to AED31.6 billion1. Within the MENA investment banking sector, First Abu Dhabi Bank was one of the few MENA-based banks to enter the top 10 for fee generation in the first quarter of 20253. The company acted as one of the lead bookrunners for Turkey Wealth Fund in a syndicated loan arrangement, a deal that marked a significant transaction for the UAE-listed banks4. First Abu Dhabi Bank backed a new UAE-based stablecoin, regulated by the UAE Central Bank, which signalled an expansion of its financial technology ventures5. The company is also noted as one of the top listed companies in the UAE, featuring in the MSCI emerging index. This exposure is part of the broader investment landscape that includes influential stakeholders such as Mubadala2. First Abu Dhabi Bank Overview First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest bank by assets and the largest lender in the United Arab Emirates, formed following a merger between First Gulf Bank and the National Bank of Abu Dhabi in 2017. FAB is based in Khalifa Business Park in Abu Dhabi but operates in 20 overseas markets including across the Middle East, Europe, Brazil, India, South East Asia and the US. Products and services include personal, private, corporate and investment banking. In 2019 First Abu Dhabi Bank began international expansion with the start of operations in Saudi Arabia. International growth since then has been through a combination of organic expansion and mergers and acquisitions. For example in 2022 it completed the merger of its Egyptian unit and Bank Audi Egypt, resulting in the creation of Egypt’s newest banking brand, FABMISR. As well as diversifying its international business the bank has been focused on expanding its business lines, products, funding sources and income streams. The Mubadala Investment Company is FAB’s largest shareholder, owning over a third of the bank. First Abu Dhabi Bank News Opinion Finance The UAE’s debut stablecoin has real-world significance Stablecoins have hitherto operated in a regulatory grey zone, hindered by vague and inconsistent rules June 10, 2025 Analysis Banking and Finance Gulf banks fight back to beat buy-now-pay-later advantage Gulf banks are moving aggressively to claw back billions of dollars in market share from buy-now-pay-later fintechs, turning to new payments infrastructure to reassert control at checkout, according to industry executives. Visa is working with lenders in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to expand its “Installment Solutions” platform, which allows credit cardholders to split payments […] June 10, 2025 Banking and Finance FAB joins banks to lend $750m to India’s Adani unit Adani Airports Holdings, the largest private airport operator in India, has raised $750 million from banks including the UAE’s First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB). The other banks involved are Barclays and Standard Chartered, the Bombay Stock Exchange-listed company said in a statement on Wednesday. Adani Airports Holdings (AAHL) is a subsidiary of India’s Adani Enterprises, […] June 5, 2025 Agriculture PIF-backed Olam Agri raises nearly $2bn Singapore-based agribusiness Olam Agri Holdings, partially owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has secured $1.85 billion in financing to support its business goals. The dual-tranche conventional and Islamic facility was raised by Olam Global Agri and Olam Global Agri Treasury Pte, two subsidiaries of Olam Agri — which sources, processes, trades and distributes […] June 3, 2025 Banking and Finance FAB shareholder seeks to raise $480m from secondary offering A shareholder of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE’s biggest bank by assets, is offering around $480 million worth of shares via a secondary share sale, the bookrunner for the deal said on Friday. The selling shareholder, whose name was not disclosed, is offering around 113 million shares at a price of AED15.5 ($4.22) […] June 2, 2025 Finance Mubadala’s $1bn sukuk order book oversubscribed five times Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala has sold $1 billion in 10-year US dollar-denominated Islamic bonds, or sukuk, in its first debt sale of the year, news service IFR said on Wednesday. Acting through the Mamoura Diversified Global Holding debt vehicle, Mubadala priced the bonds at 60 basis points (bps) over US treasuries, narrower than […] May 29, 2025 Manufacturing UAE’s $11bn manufacturing investment aims to cut oil reliance The UAE plans investment of more than AED40 billion ($11 billion) over the next five years to establish itself as a centre for advanced manufacturing. The strategy aims to expand its industrial base, accelerating efforts to diversify its economy away from oil. Highlighting progress so far, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, federal minister of industry and […] May 20, 2025 Markets Arabian Construction Company hires banks for IPO Arabian Construction Company (ACC), a family-owned business in Abu Dhabi, has reportedly picked local and global banks for its proposed initial public offering. First Abu Dhabi Bank and HSBC will advise the company on its domestic listing, Bloomberg reported. The listing is expected to take place in the second half of the year, sources said. In […] May 16, 2025 Banking and Finance Abu Dhabi group creating dirham-backed stablecoin Sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Co. is among a group of companies developing a cryptocurrency that will be linked to the UAE dirham currency. Better known as ADQ, the fund – together with the emirate’s International Holding Company (IHC) and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) – will develop the stablecoin to be regulated […] April 30, 2025 Banking and Finance First Abu Dhabi Q1 profit rises by nearly a quarter First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) reported an increase in profits in the first quarter of this year, fuelled by higher revenue from its retail, wholesale and investment banking segments. FAB’s net profit rose 23 percent to AED5.1 billion ($1.4 billion) in the January to March period, while revenue saw an 11 percent growth to AED8.8 […] April 29, 2025 Posts navigation 1 2 … 22 Next
Opinion Finance The UAE’s debut stablecoin has real-world significance Stablecoins have hitherto operated in a regulatory grey zone, hindered by vague and inconsistent rules June 10, 2025
Analysis Banking and Finance Gulf banks fight back to beat buy-now-pay-later advantage Gulf banks are moving aggressively to claw back billions of dollars in market share from buy-now-pay-later fintechs, turning to new payments infrastructure to reassert control at checkout, according to industry executives. Visa is working with lenders in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to expand its “Installment Solutions” platform, which allows credit cardholders to split payments […] June 10, 2025
Banking and Finance FAB joins banks to lend $750m to India’s Adani unit Adani Airports Holdings, the largest private airport operator in India, has raised $750 million from banks including the UAE’s First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB). The other banks involved are Barclays and Standard Chartered, the Bombay Stock Exchange-listed company said in a statement on Wednesday. Adani Airports Holdings (AAHL) is a subsidiary of India’s Adani Enterprises, […] June 5, 2025
Agriculture PIF-backed Olam Agri raises nearly $2bn Singapore-based agribusiness Olam Agri Holdings, partially owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has secured $1.85 billion in financing to support its business goals. The dual-tranche conventional and Islamic facility was raised by Olam Global Agri and Olam Global Agri Treasury Pte, two subsidiaries of Olam Agri — which sources, processes, trades and distributes […] June 3, 2025
Banking and Finance FAB shareholder seeks to raise $480m from secondary offering A shareholder of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE’s biggest bank by assets, is offering around $480 million worth of shares via a secondary share sale, the bookrunner for the deal said on Friday. The selling shareholder, whose name was not disclosed, is offering around 113 million shares at a price of AED15.5 ($4.22) […] June 2, 2025
Finance Mubadala’s $1bn sukuk order book oversubscribed five times Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala has sold $1 billion in 10-year US dollar-denominated Islamic bonds, or sukuk, in its first debt sale of the year, news service IFR said on Wednesday. Acting through the Mamoura Diversified Global Holding debt vehicle, Mubadala priced the bonds at 60 basis points (bps) over US treasuries, narrower than […] May 29, 2025
Manufacturing UAE’s $11bn manufacturing investment aims to cut oil reliance The UAE plans investment of more than AED40 billion ($11 billion) over the next five years to establish itself as a centre for advanced manufacturing. The strategy aims to expand its industrial base, accelerating efforts to diversify its economy away from oil. Highlighting progress so far, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, federal minister of industry and […] May 20, 2025
Markets Arabian Construction Company hires banks for IPO Arabian Construction Company (ACC), a family-owned business in Abu Dhabi, has reportedly picked local and global banks for its proposed initial public offering. First Abu Dhabi Bank and HSBC will advise the company on its domestic listing, Bloomberg reported. The listing is expected to take place in the second half of the year, sources said. In […] May 16, 2025
Banking and Finance Abu Dhabi group creating dirham-backed stablecoin Sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Co. is among a group of companies developing a cryptocurrency that will be linked to the UAE dirham currency. Better known as ADQ, the fund – together with the emirate’s International Holding Company (IHC) and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) – will develop the stablecoin to be regulated […] April 30, 2025
Banking and Finance First Abu Dhabi Q1 profit rises by nearly a quarter First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) reported an increase in profits in the first quarter of this year, fuelled by higher revenue from its retail, wholesale and investment banking segments. FAB’s net profit rose 23 percent to AED5.1 billion ($1.4 billion) in the January to March period, while revenue saw an 11 percent growth to AED8.8 […] April 29, 2025