Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 22 April 2025:
UAE Banks Federation (UBF), the sole representative and unified voice of UAE banks, held its Annual General Meeting, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Abdulaziz Al-Ghurair, Chairman of UAE Banks Federation, and in the presence of members of the Board of Directors of the Federation and representatives of member banks.
During the meeting, the members approved the previous minutes of the General Assembly held on 29 April 2024, the audited financial statements for 2024 and the auditors’ report. The General Meeting also absolved the Board of Directors from liabilities arising from their duties for the financial year ending 31 December 2024 and appointed the auditors for the year 2025.
The meeting approved the strategic goals and plans of UBF for 2025, as presented by the Board of Directors, to develop the UAE banking sector and strengthen the UAE’s position as one of the global financial, economic, and commercial centres.
The General Assembly emphasised the importance of supporting strong fundamentals of the banking industry and its role in socio-economic development to achieve the strategic objectives of the UAE. The meeting praised the steady strong growth of UAE banks in 2024, which maintained high capitalisation levels, strong profitability, sufficient liquidity, and stable financial reserves. This performance reaffirms effectiveness of the Central Bank of the UAE’s vision and efforts to establish the necessary frameworks to develop the banking and financial sector and providing a seamless and secure experience to all customers.
The AGM hailed the efforts made by UBF in promoting Emiratisation, which aims to increase the number of UAE nationals working in banking and insurance according to the Central Bank of the UAE’s plan, exceeding the Emiratisation’s targets by achieving growth of 152.9% during 2024. The meeting stressed importance of continuing efforts to further enhance Emiratisation, and training programmes for human capital in the sector to keep pace with the accelerated developments in the banking and financial industry and digital transformation.
The meeting expressed appreciation for initiatives and programmes undertaken by the UBF during 2024, particularly in terms of enhancing trust, cementing the UAE as one of top countries in the world with a 90% trust rate in the banking sector, which is most trusted industry in the UAE according to Trust Index.
It also noted the effectiveness of UBF’s plans in accelerating digital transformation, protecting digital infrastructure, combating fraud and consolidating the financial system in the UAE by ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and supervisory guidelines, as well as adherence to the highest standards of governance, transparency, and risk management.
The General Assembly urged UBF member banks to further enhance financial inclusion and provide the best banking services and products to customers, with a focus on supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs. Participants at the AGM praised UBF’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with strategic partners, banking associations in friendly countries.
The General Assembly reiterated its support for member banks’ efforts to increase sustainable finance by strengthening foundations to accelerate transition to sustainable solutions. The meeting commended the awareness and training programmes organised by UBF as part of its efforts to enhance the skills of employees in the sector and keep abreast of the latest developments in the industry, as well as for providing appropriate platforms of knowledge and experience sharing, contributing to the development of the banking sector.
The AGM reiterated appreciation for the UBF General Secretariat and the advisory and technical committees, which bring together prominent banking executives and provide appropriate platforms for knowledge sharing and the development of strategies and initiatives.
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About UAE Banks Federation (UBF):
Established in 1982, UAE Banks Federation (UBF), the sole representative and unified voice of UAE banks, comprising 62 members of banks and financial institutions operating in the UAE. UBF advocates the interests of all its members and enhances cooperation and coordination between them in order to elevate the UAE’s banking ecosystem for the benefit of members, customers, and the overall UAE economy.
UBF’s mission and objectives are focused on representing its members and defending their rights and interest. UBF provides a platform for cooperation and the exchange of ideas and expertise among its members and plays a significant role in raising public awareness about the contributions of the UAE banking sector to the economic and social development of the country.
UBF has a 22-member Advisory Council consisting of CEOs and General Managers from member banks and financial institutions, which oversees the implementation of UBF’s policies and activities. The CEOs Council also makes directional decisions through UBF’s General Secretariat for UBF’s 28 technical and 6 advisory committees, which in turn are tasked to discuss all issues relevant to the UAE banking and financial services ecosystem. UAE Banks Federation also includes a CEOs Consultative Council, which consists of chief executives of other member banks.