ABK-Egypt advances three places in customer loans ranking over three years

Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait – Egypt (ABK-Egypt) has strengthened its competitive position in Egypt’s banking credit market over the past three and a half years, driven by significant growth in its customer loans portfolio.

The bank’s customer loans portfolio increased by approximately EGP 53.9 bn, reaching EGP 88.6 bn at end-June 2026, compared to EGP 34.7 bn at end-2022, representing cumulative growth of 155.6 per cent.

This growth was not limited to expanding the bank’s credit portfolio, but also translated into an improved ranking among banks operating in the Egyptian market, as it overtook saib and Al Baraka during 2023.

Furthermore, the bank narrowed the gap with ALEXBANK by end-June 2026, reflecting its improved competitive position and growing relative share of Egypt’s banking credit market.

2023: A turning point in ABK-Egypt’s credit position

2023 marked a turning point in the bank’s credit trajectory, as its customer loans portfolio increased to EGP 47 bn, compared to EGP 34.7 bn at end-2022.

This represented an increase of EGP 12.3 bn, equivalent to a growth rate of 35.6 per cent, highlighting the bank’s accelerated credit expansion during the year.

This expansion enabled the bank to add loans equivalent to more than one-third of its opening portfolio, while overtaking competitors that had previously ranked ahead of it.

Consequently, 2023 marked the beginning of a new phase in strengthening the bank’s position within Egypt’s competitive banking market.

2024 and 2025: EGP 40.6 bn expansion supports competitive gains

ABK-Egypt continued expanding its portfolio throughout 2024 and 2025, adding approximately EGP 40.6 bn to total customer loans, equivalent to more than three times the increase recorded during 2023.

2024 witnessed the largest annual increase during the period under review, with the portfolio growing by EGP 22.1 bn to reach EGP 69.1 bn at year-end, representing growth of 47 per cent.

Expansion continued throughout 2025, as customer loans increased by approximately EGP 18.5 bn, reaching EGP 87.5 bn at year-end, with a growth rate of 26.8 per cent.

Accordingly, the bank added approximately EGP 53.9 bn to its portfolio over three years, representing more than two and a half times its customer loans balance at end-2022.

This expansion strengthened the bank’s ability to compete with lenders that had maintained larger loan portfolios at the beginning of the period under review.

ABK-Egypt overtakes saib and Al Baraka, while narrowing the gap with ALEXBANK

In terms of direct competition, ABK-Egypt successfully overtook saib and Al Baraka during 2023, having previously trailed them by approximately EGP 7.19 bn and EGP 730 mn, respectively, at end-2022.

By end-2023, these gaps had turned into competitive leads of EGP 756 mn and EGP 3.3 bn, respectively, reflecting the bank’s stronger credit expansion compared to both competitors.

The bank maintained its lead over these competitors through June 2026, with a margin of EGP 1.3 bn over saib and EGP 5.4 bn over Al Baraka.

It also narrowed the gap with ALEXBANK from EGP 24.96 bn at end-2022 to EGP 4.1 bn at end-June 2026, after temporarily overtaking it by EGP 3.9 bn at end-2025.

ABK-Egypt’s competitive gains extended beyond overtaking saib and Al Baraka, also encompassing HSBC Egypt and Housing and Development Bank (HDB), both of which had ranked ahead of it at end-2022.

As a result, the bank overtook four competitors during the period under review, while Suez Canal Bank moved ahead of it, enabling ABK-Egypt to advance three places overall.

Accordingly, the bank improved its customer loans ranking from 18th place at end-2022 to 15th place at end-June 2026, reflecting its stronger competitive standing in the market.

These developments highlight the bank’s ability to achieve cumulative credit growth exceeding that of several competitors throughout the period, contributing to an improved relative position against them.

H1 2026: Growth continues at a slower pace

During H1 2026, ABK-Egypt witnessed a slowdown in credit expansion, as its customer loans portfolio increased by only approximately EGP 1 bn, reaching EGP 88.6 bn at end-June.

This represented growth of 1.2 per cent compared to end-2025, reflecting a slower expansion pace than that recorded during previous years.

The increase was lower than those recorded by the three competing banks under review, whose portfolios expanded by amounts ranging between EGP 7.23 bn and EGP 8.97 bn during the same period.

This contributed to narrowing some of the competitive gaps that ABK-Egypt had previously established against its peers.

Credit expansion strengthens ABK-Egypt’s competitive position

Overall, the analysis highlights ABK-Egypt’s success in translating its credit expansion over the past three and a half years into tangible improvements in its competitive position against several market players.

The bank added approximately EGP 53.9 bn to its customer loans portfolio, compared to increases of EGP 45.5 bn at saib, EGP 47.8 bn at Al Baraka and EGP 33.1 bn at ALEXBANK.

The stronger cumulative growth in ABK-Egypt’s loans portfolio compared to the three competitors represents the main driver behind its improved relative position, enabling it to overtake two banks and narrow its gap with ALEXBANK.

Specifically, this performance enabled the bank to reduce the difference separating it from ALEXBANK by approximately EGP 20.8 bn, highlighting the impact of its sustained credit expansion.

These results demonstrate that the significance of ABK-Egypt’s portfolio growth extends beyond the size of its increase, reflecting its broader impact on the competitive landscape of Egypt’s banking credit market.

This performance reflects ABK-Egypt’s success in continuously developing its banking services and enhancing their quality, through offering a diversified range of products and services that meet the needs of different customer segments.

The bank also places continued emphasis on improving customer experience and enhancing operational efficiency, contributing to stronger customer confidence and reinforcing its position as a trusted banking partner for individuals and corporates.

As part of its ambitious digital transformation strategy, ABK-Egypt seeks to develop its digital infrastructure and adopt the latest banking technologies, alongside modernising its branch network and expanding its banking channels.

These efforts enable customers to conduct transactions with greater ease, speed and security, while expanding access to banking services across different segments of society and supporting the bank’s continued growth.

Ultimately, these initiatives strengthen ABK-Egypt’s presence in the Egyptian banking market and support its efforts to maintain a stronger competitive position.