talaya

GCC Bank Intelligence
MARCH 24, 202640 issuers · 6 markets · FY 2025
$3.8tn
Total Assets
$2.3tn
Gross Loans
$726bn
Investments
$2.4tn
Deposits
$499bn
Total Debt
$485bn
Total Equity
14.6%
CET1 Ratio
18.6%
CAR
95%
Loans / Deposits
112%
NSFR
196%
LCR

The Strait of Hormuz remains the fulcrum of regional risk. A sustained disruption to shipping lanes would pressure trade finance volumes, tighten wholesale funding access, and force a repricing of liquidity buffers that most institutions have not stress-tested against a simultaneous oil and logistics shock. Against this backdrop, GCC banks enter the second half of the decade with aggregate capital ratios comfortably above every supervisory floor in the region — but the dispersion beneath the headline is significant. Several banking sectors hold fortress CET1 positions north of 16%, while others operate with single-digit headroom above regulatory minimums and leverage ratios that leave limited room for error. Profitability remains structurally sound, with sector ROE averaging above 13%, though margin compression is emerging as the rate cycle turns and cost-to-income ratios diverge by as much as 15 percentage points across markets. Liquidity coverage is broadly adequate, yet structural funding gaps persist — select issuers report NSFR below the 100% regulatory floor, and securities encumbrance ratios exceeding 70% in one market constrain collateral capacity at precisely the moment it may be needed most. On asset quality, reported NPL ratios remain benign, but Stage 2 concentrations of 20–26% at certain names signal watchlist migration risk that has not yet surfaced in headline impairment charges. Should the conflict persist, the areas to watch are threefold: wholesale funding dependency in markets most exposed to shipping disruption, the adequacy of HQLA buffers net of encumbered securities, and the speed at which Stage 2 migration translates into provisioning pressure for banks carrying elevated cost-of-risk sensitivity. The forty issuers below each carry a different answer to these questions.

SNBKSAB
Saudi National Bank
171pp
LCR–NSFR gap. Short-term liquidity masks structural deficit.
SNB enters 2026 with the strongest capital base in the Saudi banking sector — a CET1 of 17.7% provides roughly 500 bps of headroom above SAMA's minimum and over 100 bps clear of Al Rajhi, the next...
17.7%
CET1
12.3%
ROE
114%
NSFR
25%
C/I
CBDUAEC
Commercial Bank of Dubai
83%
Below the NSFR regulatory floor. Structural funding deficit.
Commercial Bank of Dubai enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 12.54% — mid-table among UAE peers, sitting above ADIB (12.02%) and DIB (12.30%) but trailing the Abu Dhabi heavyweights FAB (13.3%) and...
12.5%
CET1
18.0%
ROE
83%
NSFR
26%
C/I
MUSCATOmanC
Bank Muscat
21%
Stage 2 exposure. Watchlist concentration signals migration risk.
Bank Muscat enters the Hormuz crisis from a position of considerable balance sheet strength.
14.9%
CET1
9.9%
ROE
115%
NSFR
38%
C/I
RAKUAEC
National Bank of RAK
77%
Below the NSFR regulatory floor. Structural funding deficit.
RAKBANK enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 14.53% — comfortably above ENBD and the broader UAE mid-tier peer set, and notably without a D-SIB buffer requirement eating into distributable headroom.
14.5%
CET1
17.6%
ROE
77%
NSFR
ADCBUAED
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
45%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
ADCB enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 13.79% — comfortably the second-highest among major UAE peers after RAKBANK, and nearly 50 bps above FAB — translating to 557 bps of distributable buffer...
13.8%
CET1
12.9%
ROE
109%
NSFR
ALBILADKSAB
Bank Albilad
50%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
Bank Albilad enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 14.85% — adequate but notably the thinnest buffer among mid-tier KSA peers after Alinma (13.5%) and Bank AlJazira (12.3%), and well below the...
14.8%
CET1
14.3%
ROE
108%
NSFR
ARBKSAB
Al Rajhi Bank
58%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
Al Rajhi enters the Hormuz disruption period from a position of considerable balance sheet strength.
16.6%
CET1
17.4%
ROE
109%
NSFR
23%
C/I
FABUAEC
First Abu Dhabi Bank
44%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
FAB enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 13.3%, sitting on 654 bps of management buffer above the regulatory minimum — comfortable, though notably below Emirates NBD (14.38%) and ADCB (13.79%) among...
13.3%
CET1
14.4%
ROE
105%
NSFR
JAZIRAKSAC
Bank AlJazira
44%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
Bank AlJazira enters 2026 as the Saudi banking sector's perennial underachiever on returns, and the question is whether its balance sheet conservatism earns it a repricing or merely confirms...
12.3%
CET1
6.9%
ROE
114%
NSFR
MASHREQUAEC
Mashreqbank
43%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
Mashreqbank closes FY2025 with a CET1 ratio of 12.26% — adequate but sitting at the thinner end of UAE peer capital, trailing FAB (13.3%), ADCB (13.79%), and ENBD (14.38%) by meaningful margins.
12.3%
CET1
16.9%
ROE
113%
NSFR
RIYADKSAD
Riyad Bank
45%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
Riyad Bank closes FY2025 with a balance sheet that is solid but increasingly stretched at the margins.
13.6%
CET1
13.8%
ROE
SIBKSAC
Saudi Investment Bank
66%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
The Saudi Investment Bank enters 2026 with a balance sheet that is adequate but unremarkable by KSA standards.
14.3%
CET1
10.8%
ROE
112%
NSFR
35%
C/I
DOHAQatarC
Doha Bank
78%
Below the NSFR regulatory floor. Structural funding deficit.
Doha Bank's CET1 ratio of 13.05% is the thinnest in Qatar's listed banking peer group, sitting roughly 200 bps below Commercial Bank of Qatar and a full 540 bps behind Qatar Islamic Bank.
13.1%
CET1
5.3%
ROE
DIBUAEC
Dubai Islamic Bank
57%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
Dubai Islamic Bank closes FY2025 with a CET1 of 12.3%, adequate but the thinnest in the UAE peer set — trailing ENBD by 210 bps and FAB by 100 bps — leaving roughly 500 bps of distributable buffer...
12.3%
CET1
14.1%
ROE
GIBBahrainB
Gulf International Bank
60%
Cost-to-income. Efficiency under pressure.
GIB enters the Hormuz crisis with a capital position that is adequate but not generous — a 14.8% CET1 ratio sits ~110 bps above ABC but roughly 480 bps behind NBB, and the 17.5% total capital...
14.8%
CET1
4.0%
ROE
QNBQatarC
Qatar National Bank
24%
Cost-to-income. Exceptional efficiency.
QNB enters 2026 carrying a CET1 ratio of 15.0% — adequate but notably thinner than Qatar Islamic Bank's 18.5% and offering just 300 bps of management buffer above the 12.0% minimum (including the...
15.0%
CET1
13.6%
ROE
ENBDUAEC
Emirates NBD
49%
Securities encumbrance. Collateral capacity constrained.
Emirates NBD enters 2026 from a position of conspicuous balance sheet strength.
14.4%
CET1
16.6%
ROE
CBQQatarC
Commercial Bank of Qatar
146pp
LCR–NSFR divergence. Structural resilience overstated.
Commercial Bank of Qatar enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 12.2% — the thinnest in the Qatari peer group by a meaningful margin, sitting roughly 280 bps below QNB and a full 630 bps behind QIB.
12.2%
CET1
8.2%
ROE
NBBBahrainC
National Bank of Bahrain
292pp
LCR–NSFR gap. Short-term liquidity masks structural deficit.
National Bank of Bahrain enters the Hormuz crisis from a position of considerable balance sheet strength but with concentration risks that deserve scrutiny.
19.6%
CET1
14.2%
ROE
133%
NSFR
53%
C/I
ABCBahrainB
Arab Banking Corporation
110pp
LCR–NSFR divergence. Structural resilience overstated.
Arab Banking Corporation enters the Hormuz crisis with a capital base that is adequate but not generous — a 13.7% CET1 ratio sits comfortably above its 9.5% minimum-plus-buffer requirement, with...
13.7%
CET1
4.9%
ROE
ABKKuwaitC
Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait
164pp
LCR–NSFR gap. Short-term liquidity masks structural deficit.
ABK enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 13.37%, comfortably mid-table among Kuwaiti peers — above Burgan and Warba but lacking the cushion Gulf Bank (15.2%) or Boubyan (14.4%) carry.
13.4%
CET1
8.1%
ROE
DUKHANQatarD
Dukhan Bank
17%
Cost-to-income. Exceptional efficiency.
Dukhan Bank enters the Hormuz crisis from a position of adequate but unremarkable capital strength.
15.1%
CET1
9.2%
ROE
BURGANKuwaitB
Burgan Bank
61%
Cost-to-income. Efficiency under pressure.
Burgan Bank enters 2026 with the thinnest capital cushion in the Kuwaiti banking sector — a CET1 of 11.2% leaves just 70 bps of headroom above the 10.5% all-in requirement, a margin that would...
11.2%
CET1
4.4%
ROE
KFHKuwaitD
Kuwait Finance House
107pp
LCR–NSFR divergence. Structural resilience overstated.
KFH enters 2026 with a capital position that is adequate but not commanding — CET1 at 13.27% sits roughly in line with NBK (13.1%) and ABK (13.37%), though it trails Gulf Bank and Boubyan by a...
13.3%
CET1
10.5%
ROE
NBOOmanC
National Bank of Oman
130%
NSFR surplus. Structural funding strength.
National Bank of Oman enters 2026 with a capital structure that tells two stories.
11.7%
CET1
5.4%
ROE
ALINMAKSAC
Alinma Bank
$83bn
KSA conventional bank.
Alinma Bank enters the Hormuz disruption cycle from a position of moderate capital adequacy but not capital abundance.
13.5%
CET1
13.3%
ROE
ANBKSAB
Arab National Bank
$75bn
KSA conventional bank.
ANB enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 16.4%, comfortably mid-table among KSA peers — above Alinma and SAB but trailing SNB's 17.7% — and a generous 936 bps of distributable buffer above minimum...
16.4%
CET1
10.3%
ROE
BSFKSAB
Banque Saudi Fransi
$82bn
KSA conventional bank.
Banque Saudi Fransi enters 2026 with a capital position that affords comfort but not distinction.
16.2%
CET1
10.6%
ROE
126%
NSFR
34%
C/I
SABKSAC
Saudi Awwal Bank
$121bn
KSA conventional bank.
SAB enters 2026 with a capital position that is adequate but notably thinner than the KSA peer group — its 14.8% CET1 sits at the bottom quartile, trailing SNB by nearly 300 bps and Al Rajhi by...
14.8%
CET1
9.9%
ROE
QIBQatarC
Qatar Islamic Bank
10%
Cost-to-income. Exceptional efficiency.
Qatar Islamic Bank enters the Hormuz crisis from a position of unusual capital abundance — CET1 at 18.5% sits 350 bps above the next best-capitalized Qatari peer (QNB at 15.0%) and offers roughly...
18.5%
CET1
14.3%
ROE
QIIBQatarC
Qatar Int'l Islamic Bank
12%
Cost-to-income. Exceptional efficiency.
QIIB enters 2026 with a capital position that is comfortable but not lavish by Qatari standards — a 14.83% CET1 ratio sits below Qatar Islamic Bank's 18.5% and QNB's 15.0%, leaving adequate but...
14.8%
CET1
13.4%
ROE
ADIBUAEC
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
20.6%
Return on equity. Top-quartile profitability.
ADIB enters the Hormuz crisis with a capital position that is adequate but not generous: CET1 at 12.02% sits below the UAE large-bank median and trails FAB (13.3%), ADCB (13.8%), and ENBD (14.4%)...
12.0%
CET1
20.6%
ROE
KIBKuwaitC
Kuwait International Bank
59%
Cost-to-income. Efficiency under pressure.
Kuwait International Bank enters 2026 with a capital stack that looks comfortable on paper — CET1 at 13.94% sits above most Kuwaiti peers and well clear of regulatory floors, while the total...
13.9%
CET1
6.3%
ROE
SOHAROmanB
Sohar International Bank
$24bn
Oman conventional bank.
Sohar International enters 2026 with a balance sheet that is adequately capitalized but not generously so.
13.8%
CET1
8.7%
ROE
BOUBYANKuwaitB
Boubyan Bank
99pp
LCR–NSFR divergence. Structural resilience overstated.
Boubyan's CET1 of 14.4% places it comfortably among the best-capitalized Kuwaiti banks — trailing only Gulf Bank and ahead of both NBK and KFH — with a 386 bps cushion above its 10.5% minimum...
14.4%
CET1
8.9%
ROE
NBKKuwaitB
National Bank of Kuwait
$149bn
Kuwait conventional bank.
NBK enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 13.1% — adequate but notably middle-of-the-pack among Kuwaiti peers, sitting below Gulf Bank (15.2%) and Boubyan (14.4%), with just 310 bps of headroom above...
13.1%
CET1
10.2%
ROE
GULFKuwaitB
Gulf Bank
147pp
LCR–NSFR divergence. Structural resilience overstated.
Gulf Bank enters 2026 with the most generously capitalized balance sheet in Kuwait — a 15.2% CET1 ratio that sits nearly 470 bps above its combined regulatory floor and comfortably eclipses every...
15.2%
CET1
7.2%
ROE
WARBAKuwaitD
Warba Bank
58%
Cost-to-income. Efficiency under pressure.
Warba Bank enters 2026 with a CET1 ratio of 12.8%, offering roughly 330 bps of headroom above its 9.5% all-in requirement — adequate but notably thinner than Boubyan (14.4%) or Gulf Bank (15.2%),...
12.8%
CET1
5.4%
ROE
SHARJAHUAEC
Bank of Sharjah
28%
Cost-to-income. Exceptional efficiency.
13.4%
CET1
3.9%
ROE
EIBUAEC
Emirates Islamic Bank
$38bn
UAE islamic bank.
17.7%
CET1
5.0%
ROE
Explore the 40 issuers behind these numbers
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank·Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank·Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait·Al Rajhi Bank·Alinma Bank·Arab Banking Corporation·Arab National Bank·Bank Albilad·Bank AlJazira·Bank Muscat·Bank of Sharjah·Banque Saudi Fransi·Boubyan Bank·Burgan Bank·Commercial Bank of Dubai·Commercial Bank of Qatar·Doha Bank·Dubai Islamic Bank·Dukhan Bank·Emirates Islamic Bank·Emirates NBD·First Abu Dhabi Bank·Gulf Bank·Gulf International Bank·Kuwait Finance House·Kuwait International Bank·Mashreqbank·National Bank of Bahrain·National Bank of Kuwait·National Bank of Oman·National Bank of RAK·Qatar Int'l Islamic Bank·Qatar Islamic Bank·Qatar National Bank·Riyad Bank·Saudi Awwal Bank·Saudi Investment Bank·Saudi National Bank·Sohar International Bank·Warba Bank