What FAB does

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates and a leading financial institution in the Middle East, formed in 2017 through the merger of National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) and First Gulf Bank (FGB). FAB offers a diversified banking portfolio spanning traditional corporate, business, and retail banking, prepaid card services, and emerging digital asset infrastructure. The bank's primary customer segments are UAE-based corporate and business banking clients, with a stated vertical segmentation approach focused on banking and financial services use cases including corporate payments and prepaid card services.

FAB's recent product initiatives reflect a digital-first repositioning. In December 2025, FAB and Mastercard launched a mobile-first virtual card number (VCN) solution enabling UAE enterprises to issue and manage virtual corporate cards directly inside mobile wallets, targeting modernization of corporate payments. In March 2026, FAB co-initiated DDSC, a dirham-backed stablecoin with IHC, licensed by the UAE Central Bank and built on ADI Chain with Chainlink oracle integration for real-world asset tokenization across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. FAB also maintains a narrow prepaid card inquiry utility (fabbalancecheck.net) that allows cardholders to check balances using the last two digits of the card number and a card ID.

FAB's business model combines traditional banking revenue (net interest margin, fees, treasury, corporate finance) with newly emerging digital payment and digital asset fee opportunities. Distribution is primarily through direct banking and mobile/digital channels, with strategic co-distribution partnerships (Mastercard, IHC, ADI Foundation, Chainlink) extending reach. FAB is ranked the 5th most valuable banking brand in the Middle East per Brand Finance's Middle East 150 2026 report, reinforcing its scale-based and brand-driven competitive position.

Name

FAB

Legal name

First Abu Dhabi Bank

Website

https://fabbalancecheck.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest bank in the UAE, formed in 2017 from the NBAD-FGB merger. It serves corporate, business, and retail clients with traditional banking, a Mastercard-powered mobile virtual corporate card, and a UAE Central Bank-licensed dirham stablecoin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Universal Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (52211), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Credit Card Issuing (52221)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021), State Commercial Banks (6022)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual / Digital-First Credit Cards (FSAKABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Embedded Deposit Accounts & Digital Wallet Infrastructure (FSAGALAE)

Keywords

• Corporate banking services
• Retail banking products
• Digital payment solutions
• Virtual card services
• Prepaid card services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sharjah

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the UAE's largest bank offering a diversified portfolio of corporate and retail banking services. The bank delivers mobile-first digital banking solutions, including a virtual corporate card (VCN) platform integrated with Mastercard and mobile wallets, prepaid card inquiry services, and digital asset products such as the DDSC dirham-backed stablecoin licensed by the UAE Central Bank.

Product overview

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest bank in the UAE and a leading financial institution in the Middle East, offering a diversified portfolio of banking products and services. The bank's offerings span traditional corporate and retail banking services, including prepaid card products and inquiry services, as well as digital payment innovations such as mobile-first virtual corporate cards integrated with Mastercard and mobile wallets. FAB has also entered the digital asset space through its co-initiation of the DDSC dirham-backed stablecoin with IHC, licensed by the UAE Central Bank and enabled through the ADI Foundation and Chainlink partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mobile-First Virtual Corporate Card A virtual card number (VCN) solution developed in partnership with Mastercard that enables businesses in the UAE to issue and manage virtual corporate cards integrated into mobile wallets, modernizing corporate payments and enhancing operational efficiency.
• Prepaid Card Inquiry Service An online card services portal allowing users to inquire about prepaid cards by providing the last two digits of the card number and card ID.
• DDSC Dirham-Backed Stablecoin A dirham-backed stablecoin co-initiated by FAB and IHC (Sirius International Holding), licensed by the UAE Central Bank, scheduled to be hosted on ADI Chain and integrated with Chainlink oracle infrastructure.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• ADI FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2026FAB co-initiated DDSC, a dirham-backed stablecoin with IHC (parent of ADI Foundation's founding company Sirius International Holding), licensed by UAE Central Bank. The partnership with Chainlink through ADI Foundation supports stablecoin infrastructure and real-world asset tokenization across Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
• MastercardcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 December 2025FAB and Mastercard launched a mobile-first virtual card number (VCN) solution for UAE businesses, enabling issuance and management of virtual corporate cards integrated into mobile wallets for modernized corporate payments and digital transformation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Emirates NBD: Largest Dubai-headquartered bank and FAB's most direct UAE competitor across corporate, retail, and digital banking; both compete for top-tier UAE corporate accounts and have parallel digital-payment strategies.
• Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB): Abu Dhabi-based universal bank with overlapping corporate and treasury banking franchises; competes with FAB for UAE government-related entities and large corporates.
• Mashreq Bank: UAE-headquartered bank with strong corporate and payments franchise; competes with FAB on UAE corporate banking, trade finance, and digital corporate card products.

Broad incumbents

• Qatar National Bank (QNB): Largest MENA bank by assets and one of the top 5 banking brands alongside FAB; broad regional incumbent competing for cross-border corporate, treasury, and investment banking mandates.
• Al Rajhi Bank: Saudi-listed banking heavyweight and fellow Brand Finance Middle East top-10 brand; comparable scale, deposit franchise, and digital-banking investments across the GCC.
• Saudi National Bank (SNB): Saudi Arabia's largest bank by assets and another top-5 MENA banking brand; peer to FAB at the regional-banking heavyweight tier and competing for GCC cross-border mandates.
• Visa: Global card-network incumbent whose virtual-card and B2B payment products directly compete with FAB's Mastercard-issued VCN for corporate wallet share.

Regional players

• Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD): Dubai-focused corporate and retail bank competing with FAB in the UAE market; comparable mid-tier UAE corporate banking franchise with growing digital ambitions.

Others

• Mastercard: Direct technology partner on FAB's mobile-first VCN product and a broader payments-network incumbent; comparable as the ecosystem player whose rails underpin FAB's digital card offering.
• Chainlink: Infrastructure partner via ADI Foundation for FAB's DDSC stablecoin; relevant peer/comparable for the tokenization-and-oracle layer that underpins FAB's digital-asset roadmap.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FAB