Despite surging global interest rates, inflation, gyrating currencies and geopolitical tensions, Ahli Islamic Bank has stayed the course. It has grown its business and worked to expand the industry, pursuing financial inclusion when it is needed most.

Founded in 2009, Sidra Capital is a pioneer of private Islamic finance in Saudi Arabia, with offices in Riyadh, Dubai, Singapore and London. Licensed and regulated by the Saudi Arabian Capital Market Authority, Sidra’s Shariah-compliant asset business focuses on alternative asset classes, real estate and private finance and private equity.

Since its inception in 2004, Boubyan Bank has carved out a specific niche in a Kuwaiti market dominated by bigger and more established players. As chief executive Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri puts it, three words serve as the guiding star for the bank’s strategy: “modern, attractive and digital.”

Qatar’s biggest Islamic bank remains hard to beat. Last year, it offered shareholders a 17.8% return on equity, a 2.1% return on assets and one of the industry’s lowest cost-to-income ratios at 17.4%.

The global turmoil of 2022 posed a severe test for Banque Misr and its more than 10 million customers. The one-two punch of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the foreign-currency crunch caused by surging inflation sent Egypt to the IMF.

Kuwait Finance House’s 45th year in business was a banner one. In October 2022, the team led by acting chief executive Abdulwahab Iesa Alrushood completed the acquisition of Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank to create the world’s second-largest Islamic bank.

RakBank isn’t the biggest or best known bank in the United Arab Emirates. But it is playing an outsized role in providing innovative Islamic banking solutions and growing the market.

Over the last 45 years, Jordan Islamic Bank (JIB) has steadily grown its banking, financing and investment businesses in accordance with Islamic guidelines. The corporate governance code it built became the standard in Jordan and one that the central bank has taken to using as a benchmark for peers.

Few banks take the phrase 'digital transformation' more seriously than Dukhan Bank.

Dubai Islamic Bank reported a 12% year-on-year rise in net profit in the first quarter of 2023, while total income grew by 47% over the same period – the result of strong income from financing assets and robust cost management.

Al Rajhi Bank had a busy 2022, arranging 12 high-profile transactions in the Saudi riyal and US dollar debt capital markets.

As the Gulf IPO boom subsides, will better allocations for international investors, dual listings and better secondary-market liquidity be enough to ensure that the region’s equity capital markets can mature?

Jordan Kuwait Bank has issued the country’s first green bond, a key milestone for sustainability driven capital investments in the country. But getting momentum going in the sector will be an uphill battle.

Emirates NBD has put a strong focus on digital and mobile banking for its private banking clients and wider customer base in 2022.

BNP Paribas has put environmental, social and governance at the centre of its work over the last few years and BNP Paribas Wealth Management’s approach is no different. The bank, which last year took home the world’s best bank for ESG in Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence, has successfully integrated ESG across its offerings, not least with its innovative ‘myImpact’ app.

With offices in Dubai, Riyadh, Geneva and Luxembourg, BNP Paribas Wealth Management is well positioned to offer succession planning and wealth-transfer services across the Middle East.

BNP Paribas Wealth Management is named the best private bank in the Middle East in this year’s private banking awards.

QNB Private was the first private bank established in Qatar, but its offering for clients, particularly high net-worth individuals, spans the Middle East. QNB is the largest bank in Qatar, with a 30% market share, and has a global network that covers 31 countries on three continents.

Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) wins Euromoney’s award for best Middle East private bank for investment research, a reflection of its research-driven culture.

Any bank working with ultra-high net-worth clients must understand the needs of that base from generational wealth to philanthropy. LGT Private Banking knows those needs well, owned as it is by the Princely House of Liechtenstein through the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation.

Wealth transfer and succession planning advice and services should be at the core of a private bank’s offering, demanding a unified, integrated approach to providing clients with experienced and expert advice across assets, business structures and local and offshore jurisdictions.

Amid turbulent times, the quality and timeliness of investment research takes on greater importance for clients as they try to navigate market volatility and mitigate risk across their portfolios.

Amid stiff competition, FNB once again rises to the top in the judges' assessment based on its strength and distinction in key areas including products, innovation and technology, and client service and delivery, making it Africa’s best private bank for discretionary portfolio management.

Environmental, social and governance-focused investing has become a key priority for institutional investors globally over the past few years, leading to a rapid expansion in the universe of ESG-labelled investment products and funds.

Size, scale, depth of client penetration – together with offering the full range of wealth management advice, products and services across multiple core markets – are key elements in recognising the leading private bank in any region.

Across products, innovation and technology, client service and delivery, FNB’s digital banking offering is consistently one of the best and most advanced in the industry, supporting the judges' unanimous determination that it be recognised this year as Africa’s best private bank for digital.

Both Egypt and Turkey have recently been able to tap dollars more cheaply through sukuk.

First Abu Dhabi Bank’s recent interest in a bid for Standard Chartered and an ill-fated investment in Credit Suisse by Saudi National Bank have put the spotlight on Middle East banks as potential acquirers of international firms.

The desire among political and financial leaders in Beijing to climb the value chain in development finance is clear. But the challenges now facing a giant Chinese state-run infrastructure contractor at Nigeria’s new deep-water port in Lekki show that this is easier said than done.

SLLs offer more flexibility for borrowers targeting sustainability, but the structure is coming under scrutiny around the world for potential greenwashing concerns.