Credit cards are a key tool for financial institutions battling for market share in the UAE’s crowded banking sector. In Abu Dhabi the appetite for plastic remains strong despite the recent opening of a federal credit bureau, which has made it harder for customers to obtain cards from multiple issuers.
Given a lower oil price and an appreciating US dollar, what challenges have emerged, and how is monetary policy being adjusted as a result?
Showing their strength in 2015, Abu Dhabi’s banks maintained both asset growth and profitability in the face of lower oil prices and regional unrest. External factors are expected to result in challenging market conditions in 2016, however, ample capital buffers and one of the most respected regulatory structures in the region mean that the...
Thanks in large part to the dirham’s peg with the dollar, the record low interest rates at the US Federal Reserve have meant that Abu Dhabi’s banks have operated in a highly liquid market. This scenario has been further strengthened by the plentiful supply of deposits flooding into the UAE from countries such as Syria, Egypt and Tunisia....
With a total of 60 insurers in the UAE, including 34 locally incorporated companies and 26 foreign branches, federal authorities have increasingly sought to promote consolidation in the nation’s growing insurance market. According to the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi, financial and insurance activities were a significant contributor to the emirate’s economic growth in 2014, expanding by 27.1...
After a robust performance in 2015, the sector has entered 2016 ready to weather the economic challenges presented by a subdued oil price and is well positioned to pursue growth where opportunities arise in the coming years. With total assets estimated at $127bn in 2014, the UAE has one of the largest sharia-compliant banking sectors in the world – the third largest after Saudi Arabia and...
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