Banking

Banks in Abu Dhabi are well funded and have demonstrated resilience. They also exist in a competitive environment that is widely seen as overbanked. After a major merger created the region’s second-largest lender in 2017, further moves towards consolidation are expected. For now, the banking system has ample liquidity and would benefit from more opportunities to deploy it. The government has been effecting structural reforms since the 2007-08 economic crisis, to boost the efficiency of government spending and encourage greater self-reliance on the part of both the private corporate and government-linked businesses. This is part of a wider effort to prepare for a long-term future in which Abu Dhabi can thrive even when oil prices drop. This chapter contains an interview with Abdulhamid Mohammed Saeed, Group CEO, First Abu Dhabi Bank.