Big Numbers Race: «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank» Leverages Rapid Growth in Its Competition with «Al Rajhi» for a Spot Among the Largest Arab Banks

Amid intensifying competition among leading Arab banks, this edition of «Big Numbers Race» highlights the rivalry between «Al Rajhi Bank» and «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank» in the race for a position among the top five banks in the Arab world, reflecting a clear contrast between scale dominance on one hand and growth momentum on the other.

According to consolidated financial statements for FY 2025, «Al Rajhi Bank» maintains its position as the fifth-largest bank in the Arab world by total assets, reaching 278.15 USD bn, compared to 210.63 USD bn for «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank», which ranks sixth, highlighting a persistent size gap in favor of the former.

This advantage extends to deposits, where «Al Rajhi Bank» recorded a deposit base of 177.91 USD bn, versus 136.07 USD bn for «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank».

Similarly, on the lending side, net financing at «Al Rajhi Bank» reached 200.69 USD bn by the end of 2025, compared to 110.53 USD bn for its competitor.

Despite this structural dominance, growth trends over the 2022–2025 period reveal stronger momentum for «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank», which achieved total asset growth of 55.4% over the past three years, compared to 37.1% for «Al Rajhi Bank» at the same term.

However, this accelerated growth has not significantly narrowed the asset gap, which slightly widened to 67.51 USD bn by the end of 2025, compared to 67.38 USD bn in 2022, indicating that the larger base of «Al Rajhi Bank» remains sufficient to maintain the lead.

In contrast, the impact of ADCB’s stronger growth is more evident in deposits, which grew by 61.8% over the past three years, compared to 18.3% for «Al Rajhi Bank». This contributed to narrowing the deposit gap to 41.84 USD bn in 2025, down from 66.26 USD bn in 2022, reflecting improved competitiveness in liquidity.

On the lending front, despite strong growth at «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank» of 57.1% over three years, compared to 32.7% for «Al Rajhi Bank», the lending gap widened to 90.17 USD bn by the end of 2025, versus 80.90 USD bn in 2022, underscoring «Al Rajhi Bank»’s continued strength in deploying funds efficiently at a larger scale.

In terms of profitability, «Al Rajhi Bank» continues to reinforce its leadership, reporting net profit of 6.62 USD bn in 2025, with a return on assets of 2.47% and return on equity of 18.68%. In comparison, «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank» posted net profit of 3.12 USD bn, with ROA at 1.60% and ROE at 13.93%, reflecting higher operational efficiency and profitability for «Al Rajhi Bank».

This advantage is further supported by a stronger capital base, with «Al Rajhi Bank» reporting capital of 10.66 USD bn, compared to approximately 2.15 USD bn for «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank» by the end of 2025, providing greater flexibility for future expansion and shock absorption.

Overall, financial indicators suggest that «Al Rajhi Bank» continues to maintain a clear lead in terms of scale and profitability, while «Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank» stands out as a fast-growing player gradually narrowing gaps across selected metrics particularly deposits keeping the competition open over the medium term, albeit without a fundamental shift in the balance of power in the near term.