First Bank's Ranking of the Top 100 Arab Banks as of the End of March 2026
FAB UAE Strengthens Its Lead as the Arab Banking Sector’s Largest Bank, QNB Ranks Second
Emirates NBD climbs to third place as Saudi National Bank slips to fourth. UAE banks continue their regional dominance with 18 banks and 29% of total assets.
Egyptian banks occupy 10 positions, with the National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr, Commercial International Bank «CIB», and Arab African International Bank among the most prominent.
According to the First Bank ranking of the Top 100 Banks in the Arab World as of the end of March 2026, the UAE banking sector maintained its leadership, with 18 banks on the list and combined assets of US$1.46 trillion, representing approximately 29% of the total assets of the ranking. This highlights the strength and regional reach of UAE banks.
Jordan ranked second by number of banks, with 11 institutions, although they accounted for only 3.4% of the ranking’s total assets, amounting to US$168.98 billion by the end of March 2026.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia each placed 10 banks in the ranking, but with a significant difference in total assets. Saudi banks led with US$1.26 trillion in assets, representing about 25% of the total, while Egyptian banks held US$338.48 billion, accounting for 6.7%.
The Kuwaiti banking sector secured 9 positions, with total assets of US$459.87 billion, representing 9.1% of the ranking’s total assets.
Qatar, Bahrain, and Morocco each had 8 banks on the list. However, Qatari banks significantly outperformed the other two in asset size, with total assets reaching US$644.83 billion, representing 12.8% of the total. Moroccan banks recorded US$267.86 billion in assets (5.3%), while Bahraini banks held US$196.27 billion (3.9%).
Oman was represented by 7 banks, the lowest among the Gulf countries in both number of banks and total assets. Omani banks held US$115.69 billion in assets, accounting for only 2.3% of the total.
Among countries with less than 1% of the total assets, Tunisia was represented by 5 banks, while Algeria and Lebanon each had 2 banks. Palestine and Iraq were each represented by 1 bank.
The ranking was based on the total assets reported by banks as of March 2026, converted into U.S. dollars to ensure consistent comparison across institutions. Banks without officially available financial data were excluded to maintain the accuracy and reliability of the methodology.
Movements within the Top 10 were limited. Emirates NBD rose to third place, overtaking Saudi National Bank, which fell to fourth, compared with the December 2025 ranking.
Riyad Bank advanced to ninth place, while Kuwait Finance House dropped to tenth.
All other banks in the Top 10 maintained their previous positions, reflecting the stability of the Arab banking landscape during the first quarter of 2026.
