#UAE's four largest banks post profit rise on interest income boost and economic momentum

UAE's four largest banks post profit rise on interest income boost and economic momentum

Profits of the four largest banks in the UAE grew sharply in the first half of this year, boosted by rising interest rates and the strong growth momentum in the Arab world’s second-largest economy, Moody’s Investors Service has said.

The four largest banks – First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates NBD, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Dubai Islamic Bank reported a combined net profit of $7.4 billion, up from $4.4 billion for the same period of 2022, the rating agency said in a report on Wednesday.

The combined net interest income of the lenders, which accounted for 77 per cent of total banking assets in the UAE as of March 2023, jumped 37 per cent annually.

“Interest income growth outweighed funding cost growth, as low-cost current and savings accounts remained a big contributor to the banks' funding, driving net interest margins (NIM) up to 2.4 per cent for the first half of 2023, from 1.9 per cent a year earlier,” Moody’s analysts, led by Francesca Paolino, said.