«First Bank» Ranking of the largest 100 Arab Banks by Loans - March 2026
First Bank
QNB Reinforces Its Leadership with Loans Reaching USD 282.04 Billion
Strong Credit Concentration: Top 10 Banks Account for Half of Arab Banking Sector Loans
Top 10 Banks’ Loan Portfolios Reach USD 1.52 Trillion, Up 2.3% in Q1 2026
Relative Stability Among the Largest Lenders in the Arab World
The latest «First Bank» ranking of the Top 100 Arab Banks by loan portfolio as of March 2026 highlighted the continued concentration of credit activity within the Arab banking sector, with the top 10 banks accounting for approximately 50% of the total loans extended by banks included in the ranking.
The combined loan portfolio of the top 10 banks reached approximately USD 1.52 trillion, compared with total loans of USD 2.99 trillion for all banks featured in the ranking as of March 2026.
The top 10 banks also recorded a 2.3% growth in their aggregate loan portfolios during the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the continued lending momentum among the region’s largest banking institutions.
The ranking was based on banks’ reported loan portfolios as of March 2026, converted into U.S. dollars to provide a unified basis for comparison across banking institutions.
Banks with unavailable official financial data were excluded to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the ranking methodology.
The ranking reflected relative stability among the top 10 lenders in the Arab world, with the only change being the advancement of National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) to eighth place, while National Bank of Egypt (NBE) slipped to ninth place compared with the year-end 2025 ranking.
This decline was primarily driven by the depreciation of the Egyptian pound against the U.S. dollar amid geopolitical tensions in the region during early 2026, which negatively affected the dollar value of the bank’s loan portfolio.
Regarding the ranking of the largest Arab lenders as of March 2026, Qatar National Bank (QNB) retained the top position with a loan portfolio of USD 282.04 billion.
Al Rajhi Bank ranked second with loans totaling USD 200.83 billion at the end of March 2026.
Saudi National Bank secured third place with a loan portfolio of approximately USD 195.22 billion by the end of the same period.
Emirates NBD ranked fourth with loans amounting to approximately USD 184.53 billion as of March 2026.
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) captured fifth place with a loan portfolio of USD 181.73 billion at the end of March.
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) ranked sixth with loans totaling USD 115.90 billion as of March 2026.
Riyad Bank came in seventh place, reporting a loan portfolio of approximately USD 100.47 billion at the end of March.
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) ranked eighth with loans of approximately USD 88.87 billion as of March 2026.
National Bank of Egypt (NBE) occupied ninth place, with loans reaching approximately USD 87.15 billion by the end of March.
The tenth position went to SAB, which reported a loan portfolio of approximately USD 81.78 billion as of March 2026.
The ranking included parent banking groups across the Arab world and excluded their foreign subsidiaries and operations outside their home markets.
