Middle East's Best Banks

QNB is determined to put itself at the heart of the growing two-way trade flows between the Middle East and Asia. And it is succeeding, thanks to its expanding network of branches in China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore.

The speed with which trade between Asia and the Middle East is growing is embodied and exemplified by Bank of Palestine.

Kuwait Finance House has many positive attributes that should hold it in good stead for the years to come. It is one of the safest banks in the Middle East, as well as being one of the world’s largest Islamic finance houses, with more than 480 branches.

Jordan’s economy has held up remarkably well, given the civil war that continues to rage just over its northern border. Amman-based Arab Bank continues to impress, reporting an increase in revenues, operating profit and loans in the full year 2017.

Egypt has been looking east in recent years in search of new trade partners, and one country in particular has caught its eye. China is an ideal investment ally. It needs energy, and Cairo’s ambitions include becoming a regional energy hub by shipping liquefied natural gas south and east through the Suez Canal.

Last year was a busy one in Asia for Emirates NBD. The Dubai-based full-service bank, which has branches in Singapore, China and India, and across the Middle East, was co-arranger on a November 2017, $740 million credit facility for Mercuria Energy, with the capital set aside by the Swiss energy and commodities group for use across its Asian operations. The oversubscribed deal included investor meetings in Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

Standard Chartered has been in Bahrain longer than in any other market in the region, having established its first branch in the Kingdom in 1920. Its ties and connections to the business community make it the obvious first point of call to Asian companies as they expand into the region – and to local firms looking to export to Asia.

When investors and companies mull the benefits of doing business in Asia, or of boosting their operations in a region that still drives the global economy, their default instinct might be to turn to the West’s big lenders. We know their names. An elite handful of financial institutions, boasting decades and sometimes centuries of experience in the biggest markets. They are fully tuned into Asia, and usually well represented across the Middle East.

When investors and companies mull the benefits of doing business in Asia, or of boosting their operations in a region that still drives the global economy, their default instinct might be to turn to the West’s big lenders. We know their names. An elite handful of financial institutions, boasting decades and sometimes centuries of experience in the biggest markets. They are fully tuned into Asia, and usually well represented across the Middle East.