QNB leads Qatar’s strong presence among the 100 largest Arab banks

Translated & Edited by Aya Elsayed

First Bank’s ranking of the 100 largest Arab banks at end-June 2026 revealed a strong Qatari presence, with eight banks securing places among the top 100, led by Qatar National Bank (QNB), which ranked first in the Arab world by total assets.

The ranking highlights considerable differences in scale across Qatar’s banking sector. While QNB maintains a substantial lead over its nearest domestic competitor, several other Qatari banks have relatively similar asset bases.

QNB topped the ranking with total assets of approximately USD 394.72bn at end-June 2026, reinforcing its position as the largest Arab bank and placing it well ahead of its domestic peers.

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) ranked 21st among Arab banks, with assets of around USD 64.24bn at end-June 2026, making it QNB’s nearest Qatari competitor by asset size.

The gap between the two stood at approximately USD 330.48bn, highlighting the substantial difference in scale between Qatar’s largest bank and the rest of the sector.

QNB’s assets were approximately 6.1 times those of QIB, underscoring its significant weight in Qatar’s banking sector alongside its position as the largest Arab bank in the ranking.

Competition was considerably closer among the Qatari banks that followed. Commercial Bank of Qatar ranked 24th among Arab banks, with assets of approximately USD 50.64bn at end-June 2026, around USD 13.6bn behind QIB.

AlRayan Bank followed in 25th place, with assets of approximately USD 50.52bn over the same period, leaving only a narrow gap between the two banks.

The figures reveal a clear distinction in the structure of Qatar’s banking sector. While QNB holds a substantial lead over QIB, asset gaps narrow considerably among the banks that follow.

QIB’s assets exceeded those of Commercial Bank of Qatar by around USD 13.6bn, while just USD 120m separated Commercial Bank of Qatar and AlRayan Bank.

Further down the ranking, Dukhan Bank placed 34th, with assets of approximately USD 35.46bn at end-June 2026, followed by Doha Bank in 37th place, with assets of USD 33.62bn, leaving a gap of less than USD 2bn.

Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB) and Ahlibank completed Qatar’s representation among the top 100. QIIB ranked 56th, with assets of approximately USD 17.52bn, while Ahlibank placed 57th, with assets of around USD 17.15bn, a difference of just USD 370m.

Overall, Qatar’s presence in First Bank’s ranking of the 100 largest Arab banks at end-June 2026 reflects QNB’s considerable regional scale alongside a group of banks with relatively similar asset bases.

While the eight banks represent different levels of financial scale, QNB maintains a substantial lead over its nearest domestic competitors.