Gulf banking is large enough that the biggest institutions now sit among the most important banks across the Middle East and Africa. S&P Global Market Intelligence's 2026 ranking puts First Abu Dhabi Bank marginally ahead of Qatar National Bank on total assets at the end of 2025. The difference is small enough to underline a broader point: asset size is useful for measuring balance-sheet scale, not for declaring one bank stronger than another.
What the evidence establishes
S&P reported total assets of about $382.2 billion for First Abu Dhabi Bank and $381.6 billion for Qatar National Bank at 2025 year-end. The UAE had the largest combined asset base among countries represented in the ranking, at roughly $1.191 trillion. Saudi lenders also occupy several prominent positions. Currency conversion and differing accounting perimeters mean cross-border rankings should be read as scale comparisons rather than precision league tables.
The commercial reading
For investors, the more useful second step is to compare loans, deposits, capital, profitability and asset quality. A bank can grow assets through government balances, overseas operations or lower-return liquidity. Another can run a smaller balance sheet with stronger margins. Gulf banks also differ in exposure to property, government projects, retail credit and international wholesale funding.
What to watch next
The ranking should be refreshed after each full-year reporting cycle. Mergers, currency moves and rapid loan growth can change the order. Gulf Business Review will keep total assets separate from measures of profitability and balance-sheet risk.
How to use this analysis
Financial stocks, flows and ratios answer different questions. Assets and outstanding credit are balance-sheet positions, while new lending and payments cover a period. Capital, liquidity, funding and credit quality complete the risk picture, and the institutional perimeter of each table needs to be stated. UAE evidence should state whether it covers the federation, one emirate, a free zone or a company group, because those boundaries are not interchangeable.
Source and verification note
The reporting base for this article is S&P Global Market Intelligence: Middle East and Africa largest banks by assets 2026. The link is provided to the source page or release so readers can check the reporting period, definitions and later revisions. Figures are not extended beyond the source's geographic or institutional scope, and forecasts remain labelled as expectations until an official release records the outcome.