The total cumulative assets of 23 national banks in the UAE reached approximately 5.6 trillion dirhams by the end of December 2025. This figure, which includes both assets and investments, reflects a year-on-year growth of 21%, with over 900 billion dirhams added in the past year.
Data from the Central Bank indicates that national banks accounted for 81% of the total cumulative assets of 61 banks operating in the UAE banking sector, which totaled 6.9 trillion dirhams by the end of the year.
Assets Lead Growth Indicator
The data revealed that assets have been the primary driver behind the increase in national banks’ holdings, comprising 86% of the total asset portfolio. The cumulative assets amount to nearly 4.8 trillion dirhams.
During 2025, national banks added approximately 800 billion dirhams in new assets, representing an 18% increase year-on-year. This growth signifies the expansion of their asset base and stability within the UAE banking sector.
In terms of investments, banks increased their investment base by over 100 billion dirhams, bringing the cumulative investment total to around 800 billion dirhams, which is a 16.5% rise from the previous year.
Customer Confidence
National banks attracted new deposits amounting to 414 billion dirhams over the year, raising the total deposits to 2.931 trillion dirhams by the end of December 2025, marking a 16.5% annual increase.
This deposit growth was primarily driven by an increase in resident deposits, totaling approximately 376 billion dirhams, which made up 89% of the national banks’ total deposit base. Meanwhile, non-resident deposits accounted for 11%, recording a year-on-year growth of 21.2%, indicating the UAE banking sector’s ability to attract foreign deposits.
Increase in Credit for the Private Sector
National banks significantly raised the amount of credit extended by more than 380 billion dirhams in 2025, reflecting a 19% increase year-on-year, bringing the total credit amount to 2.381 trillion dirhams by the end of December.
The private sector was the leading force behind the demand for credit, capturing over 58% of the total credit extended by national banks. This indicates the crucial role of the private sector in supporting economic activity and funding developmental projects in the UAE.
Latest data confirms that UAE national banks have continued to solidify their market position through asset and investment expansion, attracting new deposits and providing increasing credit to the private sector. These indicators highlight customer confidence in the local banking sector, along with the banks’ capacity to adapt to sustainable economic growth and global financial changes.