If you are looking for a Dubai banks name list or UAE banks list, you usually need correct legal names, a sense of which emirate is home HQ, and clarity on who regulates the institution. This guide gives a compact, scannable table of major onshore banks, explains CBUAE vs DFSA, and links to our UAE Open Finance overview—our differentiator versus generic expat "top 10 best banks" articles.
Sources & disclaimer: Banking licenses and institution names change. Always confirm the current official register with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). Last reviewed: 2026-03-21. This page is informational, not legal or financial advice.
Who regulates banks in the UAE and Dubai?
Onshore UAE banking (the majority of retail and corporate banks serving customers across the emirates) is supervised by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). That includes most institutions people mean when they search for a list of Dubai bank names—even when the legal headquarters is in Abu Dhabi or another emirate.
DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) is a separate jurisdiction for many financial firms. Activities in or from the DIFC are regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), not as a substitute for CBUAE rules on the UAE mainland. If you bank with a DIFC entity, your contract and protections may differ from onshore CBUAE-regulated banks.
UAE / Dubai banks — names list (major onshore institutions)
Alphabetical. Profile links go to Open Banking Tracker entries where available (coverage varies). Rows without a link are still listed for quick name lookup—verify licensing on CBUAE.
| Bank name | Category | Head office (emirate) | Tracker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC (ADCB) | Domestic | Abu Dhabi | Profile |
| Al Maryah Community Bank PJSC | Domestic | Abu Dhabi | — |
| Bank of Sharjah PSC | Domestic | Sharjah | Profile |
| BNP Paribas (Dubai branch) | Foreign branch | Dubai | Profile |
| Citibank N.A. (UAE branch) | Foreign branch | Dubai | Profile |
| Commercial Bank of Dubai PSC (CBD) | Domestic | Dubai | Profile |
| Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC (DIB) | Islamic | Dubai | Profile |
| Emirates Islamic Bank PJSC | Islamic | Dubai | Profile |
| Emirates NBD Bank PJSC | Domestic | Dubai | Profile |
| First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC (FAB) | Domestic | Abu Dhabi | Profile |
| HSBC Bank Middle East Limited | Foreign / regional | Dubai | Profile |
| Invest Bank PSC | Domestic | Sharjah | — |
| Mashreqbank PSC | Domestic | Dubai | Profile |
| National Bank of Fujairah PJSC (NBF) | Domestic | Fujairah | Profile |
| RAKBANK (National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah PSC) | Domestic | Ras Al Khaimah | Profile |
| Sharjah Islamic Bank PJSC | Islamic | Sharjah | Profile |
| Standard Chartered Bank (UAE operations) | Foreign branch | Dubai | — |
| United Arab Bank PJSC | Domestic | Sharjah | Profile |
| Wio Bank PJSC | Digital native | Abu Dhabi | Profile |
| Zand Bank PJSC | Digital native | Dubai | Profile |
Open banking, Open Finance, and bank data in the UAE
The UAE is developing Open Finance under CBUAE (commonly referred to in market materials as AlTareq), with standards and infrastructure distinct from UK Open Banking or EU PSD2. For institutions in this list, the practical question is often whether API-based account aggregation, payment initiation, or consent-driven data sharing is available for a given bank—coverage on our site reflects what we track in public directories and provider data, not every internal bank API.
Read: UAE AlTareq Open Finance Framework — overview, regulator, and official documentation links.
Frequently asked questions
The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) is the primary regulator for licensed financial institutions onshore in the UAE. For authoritative, up-to-date institution names and licensing status, use CBUAE publications and registers on centralbank.ae rather than third-party lists alone. This page highlights major retail and Islamic banks for quick reference and is not a complete regulatory register.