First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has once again demonstrated exceptional financial resilience, officially reinforcing its position as the highest-rated banking group in the MENA region. As a fundamental pillar of the UAE banking sector, FAB successfully maintained its prestigious AA- or equivalent credit ratings, accompanied by stable outlooks, following the latest affirmations by Moody’s, S&P Global Ratings, and Fitch Ratings.
These powerful ratings firmly place FAB at the absolute top end of global bank credit quality. This remarkable standing is comprehensively underpinned by the institution’s strong standalone fundamentals, highly disciplined risk management protocols, and its undeniable systemic importance within the broader UAE economy.
Unmatched Credit Quality and Systemic Importance
The latest credit rating affirmations arrive amid rapidly evolving regional developments, further highlighting the deep resilience of FAB’s financial profile. Despite global economic headwinds and geopolitical complexities, the banking group has demonstrated consistent, unwavering strength across all critical performance metrics. This includes maintaining optimal capital adequacy, robust liquidity buffers, pristine asset quality, and a remarkable baseline for future earnings capacity.
The stable outlooks awarded simultaneously across all three major credit rating agencies reflect profound global confidence in the bank’s ability to sustain its extraordinarily strong profile through any economic cycle. FAB’s elite credit profile is substantially supported by its market-leading UAE franchise, a highly diversified funding base, and its immensely strong sovereign linkage as the primary banking partner to the Government of Abu Dhabi and leading government-related entities.
Leadership Perspectives on Financial Strength
The strategic vision driving this sustained excellence is firmly rooted in meticulous corporate governance and a commitment to long-term value creation. Reflecting on the bank’s operational success and capital strength, His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of FAB, highlighted the institutional discipline that safeguards the bank’s ratings:
“In 2025, FAB delivered a strong and resilient performance, reflecting sustained progress in building scale, diversification, and long-term value. Strong capital and liquidity positions remained a hallmark of the Group, with capital ratios comfortably above regulatory requirements. This strength enabled FAB to continue supporting clients and priority sectors while preserving balance sheet flexibility and risk discipline.”
Echoing this focus on fundamental stability, Hana Al Rostamani, Group Chief Executive Officer of FAB, further underscored how these elite ratings empower the institution to confidently execute its expansion strategies:
“Operating from a position of strength… FAB maintains consistently high credit ratings of AA- or equivalent, reflecting our strong fundamentals and a prudent risk profile.”
Dominating Global Wholesale Funding Markets
This unparalleled institutional strength is clearly reflected in FAB’s continued, unfettered access to international wholesale funding markets. Because the bank is definitely recognized as the highest-rated banking group in the MENA region, it benefits from a remarkably broad and diversified global investor base. This deep global trust consistently results in massively oversubscribed debt issuances, allowing the institution to raise capital with incredible efficiency across various global currencies. For instance, the bank’s pristine ratings recently allowed it to price sterling bonds entirely flat to equivalent dollar bonds, a rare pricing advantage for emerging market issuers.
Year-to-date, FAB has successfully raised over AED 22 billion ($6.0 billion equivalent) across these highly competitive international markets. Institutional investors actively seek out FAB’s debt instruments as a highly secure asset, knowing that the bank’s AA- rating guarantees a level of security rarely found in regional financial institutions.
With its AA- or equivalent credit ratings securely intact, highly resilient market fundamentals, and massive systemic importance to the UAE, FAB easily maintains one of the strongest credit profiles among all global banks. Moving forward, this elite positioning completely ensures the institution is perfectly equipped to deliver sustainable performance, drive regional economic growth, and generate highly attractive returns across all future market cycles.
