First Index: Gulf banks secure 39 seats on the «First Bank» list of the Top 50 Arab Banks with the strongest expansion in financing

The «First Bank» list of the Top 50 Arab Banks with the strongest expansion in financing during the first half of 2025 revealed a clear dominance of Gulf banks, which secured 39 out of 50 seats, representing 78% of the total ranking.

This strong performance reflects the pivotal role played by Gulf banks in supporting regional financing activity, backed by solid financial soundness, in addition to stable regulatory environments that enabled them to expand lending operations.

UAE banks ranked first in terms of number, with 11 banks included in the list of the Top 50 banks with the strongest loan portfolio growth. Collectively, they recorded an increase of approximately USD 55.17 bn, accounting for about 28.66% of the total increase achieved by the fifty banks.

Saudi banks dominated in terms of the size of the increase, as 10 Saudi banks achieved a combined rise of around USD 62.03 bn during the first half of 2025, capturing 32.23% of the total increase generated by the Top 50 banks.

Kuwaiti banks secured 7 positions in the ranking, supported by a total increase in loan portfolios amounting to USD 15.79 bn during the first half of 2025, enabling them to account for approximately 8.20% of the total increase recorded across the banks under analysis.

Qatari banks ranked prominently on the list, with 5 banks achieving an increase in their loan portfolios of around USD 19.98 bn, representing approximately 10.38% of the total increase recorded by the fifty banks.

Bahraini banks captured 4 seats in the ranking, recording an increase of approximately USD 4.69 bn, equivalent to about 2.44% of the total increase achieved collectively by the Top 50 banks.

Omani banks secured 2 positions in the ranking, with an increase in loan portfolios of around USD 2.79 bn during the first half of 2025, representing approximately 1.45% of the total increase achieved by the fifty banks.

It is worth noting that the ranking was based on ordering banks according to the value of the increase in net financing volumes, as officially disclosed and denominated in US dollars (USD), providing a unified comparison tool across different banking institutions. The ranking excluded banks for which official data were unavailable, to ensure the accuracy of results and the reliability of the adopted methodology.

It should also be noted that the ranking included parent banking groups across Arab countries and did not include their foreign subsidiaries.