«Al Baraka», «National Bank of Kuwait – Egypt», and «Kuwait Finance House – Egypt» Lead as the Fastest-Growing Foreign Banks in Retail Loans Over the Past 5 Years

«Al Baraka» Tops the Ranking… Reflecting the Success of Its Retail Banking Expansion Strategy

Gulf Banks Shine, Securing 4 Spots Among the Top 5 Fastest-Growing Foreign Banks in Retail Loans Over the Past 5 Years

6 Out of 12 Foreign Banks Surpass the Banking Sector’s Average Growth Rate of 22.7% Annually Over the Last 5 Years

«QNB Egypt» Leads in Retail Loans While «ADIB Egypt» Ranks Second

The «First Bank» ranking of the fastest-growing foreign banks operating in Egypt in terms of retail loan portfolios over the past five years (from end-2020 to end-2025) revealed that «Al Baraka» ranked first, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 52.62%. Its retail loan portfolio rose to EGP 18.08 billion by the end of 2025, compared to EGP 2.18 billion at the end of 2020.

«National Bank of Kuwait – Egypt» ranked second, recording a CAGR of 28.52% over the same period, with its retail loan portfolio increasing to EGP 25.36 billion by end-2025, up from EGP 7.23 billion in 2020.

«Kuwait Finance House – Egypt» came in third place, with a CAGR of 28.38% over the past five years, as its retail loan portfolio grew to EGP 9.88 billion by the end of 2025, compared to EGP 2.83 billion at the end of 2020.

The «First Bank» ranking tracked the development of retail loan portfolios across 12 foreign banks operating within the Egyptian banking sector for which financial data was available, showing that all banks achieved positive growth rates over the past five years.

At the level of Gulf banks, data showed they secured 4 positions among the top five, with «Al Baraka» ranking first, «National Bank of Kuwait – Egypt» second, «Kuwait Finance House – Egypt» third, and «ABK – Egypt» fourth.

Across the sector, six banks in the ranking succeeded in achieving CAGR levels in their retail loan portfolios exceeding the sector’s average growth rate of 22.7% annually, according to Central Bank data, while the remaining six banks recorded lower growth rates over the same period.

Regarding Islamic banks, only one secured a spot among the top five out of three Islamic banks included in the ranking, namely «Kuwait Finance House – Egypt».

In terms of size, «QNB Egypt» ranked as the largest foreign bank in retail loans, reaching EGP 81.11 billion by the end of 2025, while «Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank – Egypt» came second with a retail loan portfolio of EGP 48.33 billion.

It is worth noting that all figures and growth rates mentioned in the above analysis are based on the standalone financial statements announced by each bank as of the end of 2025.