Banking assets rise AED780 billion in 2025 to AED5.34 trillion

Banking assets continued to record strong growth during 2025, rising by more than AED780 billion over the year to reach approximately AED5.34 trillion at the end of December 2025, compared to around AED4.56 trillion at the end of December 2024.

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) announced that gross banks’ assets, increased by 1.7 percent from AED5,251.9 billion at the end of November 2025 to AED5,339.9 billion at the end of December 2025.

Gross credit increased by 1.5 percent from AED2,532.9 billion at the end of November 2025 to AED2,570.3 billion at the end of December 2025. Two third of total credit growth was supported by growth of credit in foreign currency (by AED25.8 billion) and the rest by increase of domestic credit (by AED11.6 billion).

The growth in domestic credit is a result of increase of credit to the private sector by 0.6 percent (contributed with 0.4 p.p. to overall growth of 0.6 percent) and credit to the Government-Related Entities (GREs) by 1.8 percent, followed by growth of credit to the OFC by 10.9 percent.

Banks’ deposits increased by 2.2 percent, from AED3,236.6 billion at the end of November 2025 to AED3,307 billion at the end of December 2025. The increase in banks’ deposits was driven by the growth in resident deposits by 1.3 percent reaching AED3,009.2 billion and non-resident deposits by 12.2 percent reaching AED297.8 billion.

Within the resident deposits: private sector deposits increased by 2.8 percent reaching 2,249.6 billion, GRE deposits increased by 4.8 percent reaching AED296.2 billion. At the same time, also OFC deposits increased by 12.9 percent reaching AED70.0 billion, while government sector deposits decreased by 10.4 percent reaching AED393.4 billion at the end of December 2025.

CBUAE also reported an increase in money supply aggregate M1 by 2.2 percent, from AED1,048.1 billion at the end of November 2025 to AED1,071.5 billion at the end of December 2025. The increase was supported by an increase in currency in circulation outside banks by 1.9 percent and in monetary deposits by 2.3 percent.

The money supply aggregate M2 increased by 3.2 percent, from AED2,669.3 billion at the end of November 2025 to AED2,754.7 billion at the end of December 2025. M2 increased due to AED62.0 billion growth in Quasi-Monetary Deposits. The corporate sector deposits increased by 3.8 percent and had the largest contribution to monthly growth of M2, providing 1.9 p.p. (out of a total 3.2 percent), primarily driven by the growth of their AEDdemand and savings deposits.

Money supply aggregate M3 also increased by 1.2 percent, from AED3,216.3 billion at the end of November 2025 to AED3,255.4 billion at the end of December 2025. M3 increased due to an increase in M2.

The monetary base increased by 5.4 percent, from AED850.1 billion at the end of November 2025 to AED895.7 billion at the end of December 2025. The increase in the monetary base was driven by the growth in: currency issued by 1.9 percent and banks & Other Financial Corporations (OFC) current accounts & overnight deposits of banks at CBUAE by 63.4 percent, overshadowing the decrease in reserve account by 9.1 percent. While monetary bills & Islamic certificates of deposit remained almost unchanged.