The total amount of financing provided by banks operating in the UAE to non-residents has seen a significant increase, reaching nearly 97 billion AED, which translates to a 35% growth over the past year. This growth brought the cumulative total from 281.4 billion AED in April 2024 to 378.2 billion AED by the end of last April.
According to recent data from the Central Bank, national banks were the primary providers of financing for non-residents, accounting for 88.2% of the total cumulative financing, amounting to 333.7 billion AED. This represents a 36.5% rise, with approximately 89.2 billion AED attributed to new financing, compared to a total of 244.5 billion AED during the same period last year.
In terms of geographical distribution, banks in Abu Dhabi led the way in granting loans to non-residents, capturing a share of 52.6% of the total financing amounting to 199 billion AED by the end of April. Following behind were the banks operating in Dubai, which accounted for 40% of the total loans with a total of 165 billion AED. The financing from other banks in the country reached 14.6 billion AED by the end of April 2025.
Analyzing the types of recipients of non-resident financing, the largest share was attributed to business activities, with the financial services sector leading at 26% of the total cumulative financing by the end of July. This was followed by the transportation, trade, and communications sectors, which collectively made up 13% of the total financing, while the transportation and communications and repair services sectors contributed around 12%. The industrial sector represented 8.5%, and trade accounted for approximately 8.3%.
88.2 %
Share of national banks in new financing
26 %
Share of financial activities in business financing