NBK, Attijariwafa Bank, and Crédit Agricole are the best banks in terms of the quality of retail loan portfolios as of the end of March 2026
Outstanding performance by the Retail Risk Management team drives «NBK – Egypt» to the top in retail loan portfolio quality
98.16% average retail loan portfolio quality across 22 banks operating in the Egyptian banking sector as of end-March 2026
Foreign banks dominate 7 spots among the top 10 out of 12 foreign banks included in the ranking
Only one Islamic bank appears among the top 10 out of 3 Islamic banks included in the ranking
The «First Bank» ranking of the best banks operating in the Egyptian banking sector in terms of retail loan portfolio quality as of end-March 2026 revealed that «National Bank of Kuwait – Egypt» ranked first, with a portfolio quality rate of 99.97% as of end-March 2026.
«Attijariwafa Bank Egypt» came in second place, recording a retail loan portfolio quality rate of 99.371% by the end of March 2026.
«Crédit Agricole» secured third place, with a retail loan portfolio quality rate of 99.365% as of the end of last March.
The list included 22 banks operating in the Egyptian banking sector for which financial data was available during the analysis period, based on the standalone financial statements announced by each bank as of end-March 2026.
The retail loan portfolio quality ratio reflects the proportion of performing loans (Stage 1 and Stage 2) to total retail loans at a bank. It is considered one of the most important indicators for assessing credit performance, as it reflects the bank’s efficiency in applying risk assessment policies and asset management. When the ratio is high, it indicates that the bank is effectively extending credit to highly creditworthy individuals, which enhances its financial soundness and reduces the risk of non-performing loans.
Conversely, a lower retail loan portfolio quality ratio indicates weaknesses in assessment processes or challenges in loan recovery, requiring a review of internal procedures and controls. Therefore, improving this ratio is considered a strategic objective for banks to ensure sustainable financial growth and enhance customer confidence.
Returning to the ranking, the average retail loan portfolio quality across the 22 banks operating in the Egyptian banking sector reached 98.16% as of end-March 2026.
Foreign banks captured 7 spots among the top 10 out of 12 foreign banks included in the ranking, namely: «National Bank of Kuwait», «Attijariwafa Bank», «Crédit Agricole», «First Abu Dhabi Bank», «Emirates NBD», «Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank», and «Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait – Egypt».
As for Islamic banks, only one institution secured a place among the top 10: «Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank – Egypt», which ranked sixth.
It is worth noting that all figures mentioned in the above analysis are based on the standalone financial statements announced by each bank as of end-March 2026.
| Bank Name | Quality of the retail loan portfolio at the end of March 2026 |
|---|---|
| National Bank of Kuwait | 99.970% |
| Attijariwafa Bank | 99.371% |
 Credit Agricole | 99.365% |
| First Abu Dhabi Bank | 99.270% |
 Emirates NBD | 99.247% |
| Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank | 99.063% |
| Ahli Bank of Kuwait | 98.902% |
 Commercial International Bank (CIB) | 98.863% |
 The United Bank | 98.741% |
 Bank NXT | 98.740% |
 Al Baraka Bank | 98.664% |
 Qatar National Bank (QNB) | 98.515% |
| Arab African International Bank | 98.433% |
| Bank of Alexandria | 98.307% |
 Export Development Bank (EBank) | 98.263% |
| Housing and Development Bank | 97.361% |
 EG Bank | 97.330% |
| Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank | 97.240% |
| Kuwait Finance House | 96.813% |
 Suez Canal Bank | 96.685% |
 SAIB | 96.437% |
 Banque du Caire | 95.848% |
