Union of Arab and French Banks

What Union of Arab and French Banks does

UBAF (Union de Banques Arabes et Françaises) is a French consortial credit institution founded in 1970 and headquartered in Courbevoie, France. It was created by public banks from France and 25 Arab countries to support and finance international trade flows. The shareholder base is anchored by Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank at 47.01% of capital, with the remaining 52.99% held by Arab financial institutions (UBAC Nederland 23.12%, Banque Extérieure d'Algérie 9.35%, Central Bank of Egypt 5.91%, Libyan Foreign Bank 5.57%, Banque Centrale Populaire Morocco 4.99%, Arab African International Bank 3.76%). UBAF is supervised by the ACPR and operates with EUR 250,727,220 in capital.

The bank operates as a specialist trade financier whose core products are organised around four pillars: (1) Trade Finance - documentary credits (issuance, confirmation, discount), documentary collections, international guarantees (bid bonds, advance payment, performance, retention), and pre/post-financing of trade transactions; (2) Islamic Financing - Sharia-compliant products including Murabaha and Istisna'a, with over 20 years of dedicated experience and Sharyah Review Bureau acting as Islamic Advisor; (3) Syndication - managing reciprocity toward correspondent banks and underwriting credit-risk distribution; and (4) Treasury - foreign exchange, money-market, Islamic banking treasury, and short-term loans. Distribution is anchored by the Paris head office plus an international network: branches in Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, and representative offices in Cairo, Algiers, Dubai, and Dhaka - giving physical coverage of trade corridors between Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Arab world. The network also spans more than 900 correspondent banks across 82 countries on five continents, and the bank offers the TRAKK by KOMGO digital document verification service. A 2020 partnership with Deposit Solutions adds Open-Banking-sourced retail deposits from German savers as a funding source.

UBAF's revenue model is transaction-fee based across trade-finance, syndication, treasury, and Islamic finance streams, supplemented by net interest from short-term lending and deposit-taking. The customer base is composed of large-export industrial players, commodity dealers (agri-food, energy, metals), government and quasi-government entities in Arab and African markets (e.g., EGPC, Egyptian Government), and correspondent banks. Named mandates include a $1.69 billion oversubscribed Revolving Credit Facility for Gunvor Group, a $604 million Murabaha for the Egyptian Government (deal completed in three weeks), a EUR 130 million counter-guarantee for the Sonatrach Hassi Messaoud refinery via Tecnicas Reunidas, and a performance bond for SAIPEM on the Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm. The bank is conservatively run, with active internal audit and compliance functions, ACPR supervision, and dedicated Sharia advisory governance over Islamic finance products.

Name

Union of Arab and French Banks

Legal name

Union de Banques Arabes et Françaises - UBAF

Website

https://ubaf.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

UBAF (Union de Banques Arabes et Françaises) is a French consortial credit institution founded in 1970 that finances and secures international trade flows between Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Arab world through Trade Finance, Islamic Finance, Syndication, and Treasury services, leveraging a 900+ bank correspondent network and offices across Asia and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Finance & International Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (52211)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Structured Trade & Export Credit (ECA-backed, Structured Solutions) (FSABAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shariah-compliant Financing Products (Murabaha, Ijara, Tawarruq, Istisna, Salam) (FSABAGAH), Islamic Trade Finance & Supply Chain (Shariah-compliant) (FSABAGAE), Islamic Transaction Banking (Cash Management & Treasury Services) (FSABAGAF)

Keywords

• Trade finance services
• International documentary credits
• Islamic trade financing
• Syndicated lending
• Correspondent banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Courbevoie

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trade Finance: Core business: International Trade Financing including documentary credits (issuance, confirmation, discount), documentary collections, international guarantees, and pre/post-financing of trade transactions.
2. Islamic Finance: Islamic financing products and services including Murabaha financing, with over 20 years of experience. UBAF has designated Sharyah Review Bureau (SRB) as its Islamic Advisor to ensure compliance with Sharia principles.
3. Syndication: Manages reciprocity with correspondent banks and backs commercial divisions to optimize credit risk management.
4. Treasury: Treasury solutions including deposits, foreign exchange operations, money market products, Islamic banking solutions, and short-term loans.
5. Retail Deposits: Partnership with Deposit Solutions to collect retail deposits from German savers through their Open Banking platform, diversifying funding sources without requiring branch network.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UBAF is a French credit institution that finances and secures international trade flows between Europe, Asia, Africa and the Arab world. It provides Trade Finance (documentary credits, documentary collections, international guarantees, pre/post-financing), Sharia-compliant Islamic Financing (Murabaha, Istisna'a), Syndication services for correspondent bank reciprocity and credit risk management, and Treasury solutions (money market, foreign exchange, short-term loans, Islamic treasury). It also distributes the TRAKK document certification service via KOMGO.

Product overview

UBAF (Union de Banques Arabes et Françaises) is a French financial institution offering a comprehensive suite of trade finance products and services. The core offering consists of four main pillars: Trade Finance (documentary credits, guarantees, and financing), Islamic Financing (Sharia-compliant products with 20+ years of expertise), Syndication (correspondent banking and credit risk management), and Treasury (money market, forex, and Islamic treasury solutions). Trade Finance is the foundational business, while Islamic Financing represents a specialized growth area. Additional services include the TRAKK document verification platform. The bank operates from its Paris headquarters with international branches in Asia (Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Dhaka) and the Arab world (Algiers, Dubai, Cairo).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TRAKK: A certification service provided by UBAF in partnership with KOMGO for document verification to increase security of digital documents exchanged via email or other electronic means.

Products and services

• Trade Finance

Quantifiable outcome

• $604 million Murabaha financing completed in record time of three weeks for Egyptian Government
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BSIC GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Partnership for Financial Security & Trade Finance training. UBAF teams led a three-day seminar in Abidjan for Compliance Managers and Trade Finance Managers from 12 BSIC subsidiaries on reconciling regulatory requirements and operational realities.
• Deposit SolutionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2020Open Banking partnership allowing UBAF to collect retail deposits from German savers through ZINSPILOT savings portal without building branch network. UBAF diversifies funding sources through this cooperation.
• Sharyah Review Bureau (SRB)coreTechnology or IntegrationDesignated as UBAF's Islamic Advisor to assure clients that UBAF's Islamic products are structured and implemented according to Sharia principles as well as regulators' and internal compliance requirements.
• International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner; UBAF participates in Islamic financing projects for governments and institutions in the Arab world.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• HSBC: One of the world's largest trade finance banks with global correspondent banking coverage and Islamic finance capabilities. A broad incumbent competing on the same Europe-Asia-MENA trade corridors.
• BNP Paribas: European universal bank with a major global trade finance franchise, including significant MENA and Islamic finance desks. A broad incumbent whose trade and correspondent banking competes directly with UBAF's offerings.
• Standard Chartered: Global universal bank with deep trade finance and Islamic finance franchises across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A broad incumbent whose trade finance offering directly overlaps UBAF's core, but at vastly larger scale.

Others

• Crédit Agricole CIB: UBAF's anchor shareholder (47.01%) and parent-like strategic partner. Comparable on trade finance product set and European-MENA client base, but operates as a much larger universal investment bank rather than a specialized consortium bank.

Direct peers

• Al Baraka Banking Group: Bahrain-headquartered Islamic banking group operating across MENA, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Comparable on Sharia-compliant trade and corporate finance capabilities, with UBAF competing on the European/MENA-Asia axis.
• Bank of London and the Middle East (BLME): London-based bank specializing in Sharia-compliant banking and trade finance bridging Europe and MENA. Directly comparable niche of European-regulated Islamic and trade finance, though smaller in scale.
• Gulf International Bank (GIB): Saudi Arabia-headquartered wholesale bank owned by Gulf sovereign investors, focused on trade finance, syndications, and treasury for Middle East-linked corporates and financial institutions. Directly comparable consortium-bank model and trade finance focus.
• Bank ABC (Arab Banking Corporation): Bahrain-headquartered consortium bank with multi-ownership by Arab central banks and shareholders, focused on trade finance and correspondent banking across MENA, Europe, and Asia. Closely comparable to UBAF in business model, consortium ownership, and trade finance specialization.

Regional players

• Mashreq Bank: UAE-headquartered universal bank with strong trade finance, correspondent banking, and Islamic finance capabilities across MENA and Asia. Comparable on product mix and client base but primarily regional rather than European-domiciled.
• Qatar National Bank (QNB): Largest bank in the Middle East and Africa with extensive trade finance operations across the Arab world, Asia, and emerging markets. Comparable on trade finance franchise and MENA client base but primarily a regional rather than European consortium bank.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ubaf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

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 Union of Arab and French Banks