Banking assets reach AED 5.34 trillion in 2025: CBUAE

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Banking assets reach AED 5.34 trillion in 2025: CBUAE

February 9, 2026

ABU DHABI,— Banking assets in the United Arab Emirates saw significant growth in 2025, increasing by more than AED 780 billion to reach about AED 5.34 trillion ($1.454 trillion) by the end of December, compared with roughly AED 4.56 trillion at the end of 2024, the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) reported.

The CBUAE said total bank assets rose 1.7 percent from AED 5,251.9 billion at the end of November 2025 to AED 5,339.9 billion in December.

Gross credit also climbed 1.5 percent, from AED 2,532.9 billion in November to AED 2,570.3 billion at the end of December.

Two-thirds of the credit increase came from foreign currency loans, which grew by AED 25.8 billion, while domestic credit added AED 11.6 billion.

Domestic credit expansion was led by private sector lending, which rose 0.6 percent, contributing 0.4 percentage points to overall credit growth.

Lending to Government-Related Entities (GREs) rose 1.8 percent, and credit to Other Financial Corporations (OFCs) increased 10.9 percent, the bank said.

Deposits at UAE banks grew 2.2 percent over the month, from AED 3,236.6 billion at the end of November to AED 3,307 billion in December. Growth was fueled by resident deposits, which rose 1.3 percent to AED 3,009.2 billion, and non-resident deposits, which climbed 12.2 percent to AED 297.8 billion.

Within resident deposits, private sector holdings increased 2.8 percent to AED 2,249.6 billion. GRE deposits rose 4.8 percent to AED 296.2 billion, and OFC deposits jumped 12.9 percent to AED 70 billion.

Government deposits, however, fell 10.4 percent to AED 393.4 billion by the end of December.

The central bank also reported a rise in the M1 money supply by 2.2 percent, from AED 1,048.1 billion in November to AED 1,071.5 billion in December, supported by a 1.9 percent increase in currency in circulation outside banks and a 2.3 percent rise in monetary deposits.

The broader M2 money supply grew 3.2 percent, from AED 2,669.3 billion to AED 2,754.7 billion, driven mainly by AED 62 billion in quasi-monetary deposit growth.

Corporate deposits increased 3.8 percent, contributing 1.9 percentage points to M2’s monthly expansion.

The M3 money supply edged up 1.2 percent, from AED 3,216.3 billion to AED 3,255.4 billion, reflecting the rise in M2.

The monetary base rose 5.4 percent, from AED 850.1 billion to AED 895.7 billion, led by a 1.9 percent increase in issued currency and a 63.4 percent jump in current accounts and overnight deposits of banks and OFCs at the CBUAE.

Reserve accounts fell 9.1 percent, while monetary bills and Islamic certificates of deposit remained mostly unchanged.

(With files from WAM)