Banks in the UAE: the full directory

Around 60 banks hold UAE licences: roughly two dozen national banks and the UAE branches of foreign groups. The authoritative source is the Central Bank of the UAE register (centralbank.ae). This directory profiles the 30 banks most relevant to retail and business customers.

Conventional banks work with interest (a fixed rate on loans and deposits). Islamic banks use contracts such as Murabaha, Ijara and Tawarruq, where the bank buys and resells an asset or leases it, and the customer pays a profit rate instead of interest. All Islamic bank products are approved by a Sharia Supervisory Board.

Yes. They hold full banking licences from the Central Bank of the UAE and operate under the same regulation as conventional banks. The difference is the service model: no branches, everything happens in the app.

It varies by bank. A full account almost always requires UAE residency; some banks offer limited options for non-residents (typically savings accounts with a reduced product set). We keep bank-specific details out of this evergreen directory — confirm the current terms directly or ask us before applying.

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest by assets, followed by Emirates NBD and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. Among Islamic banks, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and Dubai Islamic Bank lead.