12 Banking Brands Achieve Significant Advances in «First Bank» Ranking of the Largest Arab Banks

«First Bank» Top 100 Arab Banks Ranking for 2025 revealed notable movement within the classification, as a number of banks achieved substantial jumps compared with their positions in 2024. These advances were driven by strong asset growth and the expansion of banking activities, highlighting the intensifying competition among Arab financial institutions to strengthen their standing within the ranking.

Major Leaps in the Ranking: Banks Advancing by More Than 10 Positions

Bank al Etihad – Jordan topped the list of the most improved banks, climbing 15 positions in a single year to rank 53rd by the end of 2025, compared with 68th at the end of 2024, bringing it closer to joining the top 50 largest Arab banks.

This progress coincided with a 49% increase in the bank’s assets during 2025, which reached 17.57 USD bn by the end of December, compared with 11.78 USD bn at the end of 2024.

«Wio Bank – UAE» ranked second among the most improved banks, advancing 13 places to reach 59th position by the end of 2025, compared with 72nd in 2024.

This performance reflects the bank’s exceptional asset growth, which surged by 63.5% year-on-year to 16.63 USD bn by the end of 2025, compared with 10.17 USD bn in 2024, making it the fastest-growing large Arab bank according to «First Bank’s ranking».

Meanwhile, National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain «NBQ» – UAE advanced 12 positions during 2025 to secure 81st place, compared with 93rd in 2024, supported by a 28% year-on-year increase in assets to 6.23 USD bn, up from 4.87 USD bn.

Strong Upward Momentum: Banks Advancing by More Than Five Positions

The ranking witnessed three banks advancing by eight positions each.

«CIH Bank – Morocco» rose to 52nd place by the end of 2025, compared with 60th in 2024, after its assets increased by 29% year-on-year to 17.95 USD bn, compared with 13.91 USD bn.

Similarly, Ajman Bank – UAE climbed to 76th place by the end of 2025 from 84th in 2024, supported by a 44% increase in assets to 8.95 USD bn, compared with 6.22 USD bn.

In the same context, Safwa Islamic Bank – Jordan advanced to 82nd place by the end of 2025, compared with 90th in 2024, after its assets reached 6.05 USD bn, up from 4.99 USD bn, representing annual growth of approximately 21%.

Five banks also moved up by seven positions within the ranking, led by Commercial International Bank «CIB» – Egypt, which climbed to 38th place by the end of 2025 from 45th in 2024. The bank benefited from a 26.6% increase in assets during the year, reaching 30.11 USD bn compared with 23.79 USD bn.

Crédit Agricole du Maroc advanced to 49th place by the end of 2025 from 56th in 2024, as its assets grew to 19.27 USD bn from 15.58 USD bn, achieving an annual growth rate of 23.7%.

Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt also climbed to 87th place from 94th in 2024 after its assets increased by 14.5% to 5.41 USD bn, compared with 4.72 USD bn.

Tunisia’s «STB» moved up to 88th place by the end of 2025 from 95th in 2024, following a 15% year-on-year increase in assets to 5.39 USD bn, compared with 4.68 USD bn.

Meanwhile, National Bank of Iraq advanced to 92nd place from 99th in 2024 after recording asset growth of 26.6% during the year, with total assets reaching 4.97 USD bn compared with 3.93 USD bn.

On the other hand, AlexBank improved by six positions, ranking 91st by the end of 2025 compared with 97th in 2024. The bank’s advancement was supported by a 20.3% year-on-year increase in assets, which reached 5.07 USD bn compared with 4.22 USD bn.

These movements demonstrate that competition within the Arab banking sector is no longer limited to the largest institutions.

A broad group of mid-sized and emerging banks has successfully accelerated growth over the past year, strengthening their positions within the regional banking landscape.

The significant advances achieved by these institutions also suggest that the ranking remains open to further changes in the coming years, particularly as several banks continue to record growth rates exceeding the sector average, potentially enabling them to secure even higher positions among the largest Arab banks.