First Indicator: Emirates NBD leads growth among MENA’s 10 largest banks
Yasmin Elsayed
Translated & Edited by Aya Elsayed
Emirates NBD recorded the fastest growth in assets, deposits, and loans among the 10 largest banks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) during the first half of 2026, strengthening its position among the region’s leading banking institutions.
The performance marked a broad-based expansion across the bank’s balance sheet, funding base, and lending activities, reshaping its position in regional rankings.
Asset growth reshapes the regional ranking
Emirates NBD’s total assets surged 13.6 per cent during the first half of 2026 to USD 360.08bn at end-June, from USD 317.04bn at end-2025, an increase of USD 43.04bn.
The expansion also lifted the bank’s position among the region’s largest institutions. Emirates NBD advanced from fourth to third place at end-March 2026 and retained that position at end-June, consolidating its presence among the leading banks by total assets.
Deposit growth secures UAE market leadership
Customer deposits rose 13.5 per cent to USD 242.89bn at end-June 2026, from USD 214.01bn at end-2025, an increase of USD 28.88bn.
The growth led Emirates NBD to the top of the UAE banking sector by customer deposits and lifted it to second place among banks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), overtaking First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB).
The advance strengthened the bank’s competitive position in deposit mobilisation, as the ability to attract customer deposits and build a substantial funding base remains central to competition among the region’s largest lenders.
Lending reshapes growth trajectory
Lending recorded the strongest growth among Emirates NBD’s key balance-sheet indicators during the first half of 2026.
Net loans rose 17.9 per cent to USD 203.22bn at end-June, from USD 172.31bn at end-2025, an increase of more than USD 30.9bn.
The faster pace of lending growth relative to assets and deposits increased the contribution of lending activities to the bank’s overall expansion.
It also reshaped Emirates NBD’s position in the regional lending ranking, lifting the bank two places to second at end-June 2026, from fourth at end-2025, ahead of Saudi National Bank (SNB) and Al Rajhi Bank.
The advance placed Emirates NBD higher in the regional rankings for both loans and deposits than for total assets, highlighting the differences in competitive positioning among the region’s largest banking institutions.
Emirates NBD’s H1 2026 results reveal an expansion that extended beyond balance-sheet growth to encompass both deposits and lending, with credit emerging as the fastest-growing component.
The performance strengthened the bank’s position in regional banking competition, as its higher rankings in deposits and lending underscored the growing scale of its core banking operations.
