First Bank list of the largest 100 Arab banks as of the end of September 2025

Gulf dominance over the list of the largest 100 banks in the Arab world, with Gulf banks securing 59 positions.

The UAE leads the Arab banking landscape with 17 banks, followed by Jordan in second place with 12 positions.

Egypt’s banking sector strengthens its regional presence with 11 banks, while Saudi Arabia secures 10 positions on the list.

Nine Kuwaiti banks feature among the largest 100 banks in the Arab world.

Balanced representation for Qatar, Bahrain, and Morocco, with eight banks each.

The Sultanate of Oman claims seven positions, while four Tunisian banks appear on the list.

Limited representation for both Algeria and Lebanon, with two banks each.

Palestine and Iraq are represented by one bank each.

The First Bank list of the largest 100 banks in the Arab world as of the end of September 2025 revealed a clear Gulf dominance over the Arab banking landscape, with Gulf banks accounting for more than half of the ranking, totaling 59 banks. This reflects the strength of their financial positions and their ability to expand regionally.

The UAE banking sector topped the list, as Emirati banks secured 17 positions, highlighting the sector’s resilience and its continued pivotal role in supporting economic activity at both the local and regional levels.

The Jordanian banking sector ranked second, capturing 12 positions on the list, underscoring its ability to maintain a strong presence despite ongoing regional challenges.

As for Egypt’s banking sector, Egyptian banks demonstrated the solidity of their financial positions by securing 11 positions in the ranking, signaling their growing role in supporting economic activity despite regional and domestic challenges.

Saudi banks claimed 10 positions, while the list showed a notable strengthening of Kuwait’s presence with 9 banks. Meanwhile, Qatar, Bahrain, and Morocco recorded balanced representation, with eight banks each.

In contrast, the Sultanate of Oman secured seven positions, while Tunisia’s representation remained relatively limited with four banks. Algeria and Lebanon were each represented by two banks, while Palestine and Iraq recorded one bank each.

The ranking was based on banks’ total assets, as officially disclosed and denominated in US dollars, providing a unified comparison tool across different banking institutions. Banks for which official data were unavailable were excluded to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the adopted methodology.

The list showed that the top ten banks maintained their leading positions as of the end of September 2025, unchanged from the First Bank list of the largest 100 Arab banks at the end of 2024. This reflects the stability of power structures within the Arab banking sector and the entrenched financial positions of major banks.

Regarding the top 10 banks, Qatar National Bankranked first both regionally and domestically, with total assets of approximately USD 381.10 billion as of the end of September 2025.

First Abu Dhabi Bank came in second regionally and first domestically, with assets reaching approximately USD 376.33 billion by the end of September 2025. The Saudi National Bank ranked third regionally and first domestically, with total assets amounting to USD 321.74 billion during the same period.

Emirates NBD ranked fourth regionally and second domestically, with assets of around USD 310.11 billion as of the end of September 2025, followed by Al Rajhi Bank, which ranked fifth regionally and second domestically, with assets totaling USD 282.45 billion over the same period.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank secured the sixth position regionally and third domestically, after recording assets of approximately USD 202.63 billion as of the end of last September. Meanwhile, the National Bank of Egypt ranked seventh regionally and first domestically, with total assets of around USD 186.67 billion during the same period.

National Bank of Kuwait captured the eighth position among Arab banks and ranked first domestically, with assets reaching USD 146.96 billion by the end of September 2025. It was followed by Riyad Bank, which ranked ninth regionally and third domestically, with assets totaling USD 135.34 billion.

Kuwait Finance House ranked tenth regionally and second domestically, with total assets amounting to approximately USD 133.35 billion as of the end of September 2025.

It is worth noting that the ranking included parent banking groups across Arab countries and excluded their foreign subsidiaries.