«First» Index: Relative Stability in the Top 10 Arab Banks by Deposits… with «Dubai Islamic Bank» Making the Only Shift
The «First Bank» ranking of the top 100 Arab banks by customer deposits as of year-end 2025 revealed relative stability among the top ten banks, with the first eight banks maintaining their positions without change.
The only shift occurred in the ninth and tenth positions, where «Dubai Islamic Bank» advanced to ninth place, while «SAB» dropped to tenth, compared to the «First Bank» ranking of the top 100 Arab banks by deposits as of September 2025.
Tracking the competitive dynamics between the two banks over the past five years shows notable fluctuations in leadership positions.
By the end of 2020, «Dubai Islamic Bank» led with a gap of 5.65 USD bn, recording deposits of 56.07 USD bn, compared to 50.41 USD bn for «SAB».
The gap widened further to 6.30 USD bn by the end of 2021, as «Dubai Islamic Bank» maintained its lead with deposits of 56.05 USD bn, versus 49.75 USD bn for «SAB».
However, the landscape shifted significantly by the end of 2022, when «SAB» moved ahead with deposits of 57.03 USD bn, compared to 54.09 USD bn for «Dubai Islamic Bank», creating a gap of 2.94 USD bn in its favor.
«SAB» continued to outperform in 2023, recording deposits of 67.60 USD bn, compared to 60.47 USD bn for «Dubai Islamic Bank», with a gap of 7.13 USD bn, the widest during the analysis period.
By the end of 2024, «SAB» retained its lead with deposits of 71.07 USD bn, compared to 67.68 USD bn for «Dubai Islamic Bank», although the gap narrowed to 3.39 USD bn, signaling intensifying competition.
By the end of 2025, «Dubai Islamic Bank» regained the lead with deposits of 87.18 USD bn, compared to 86.19 USD bn for «SAB», with the gap narrowing to approximately 0.99 USD bn, the lowest level over the past five years, reflecting peak competition between the two banks.
Despite «Dubai Islamic Bank» reclaiming the lead, the minimal gap with «SAB» highlights strong competition, where leadership is no longer firmly established but increasingly dependent on marginal differences in growth momentum.
