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Emirates Islamic recognised as “Middle East’s Best Islamic Bank” at the Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards 2026

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  • Bank wins 6 awards, including UAE’s Best Islamic Bank 2026 and World’s Best Sukuk Deal 2026 – a benchmark for product innovation 

Dubai, September 2026: Emirates Islamic, one of the leading Islamic financial institutions in the UAE, has won top honours at the Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards 2026 including the award for “Middle East’s Best Islamic Bank” in recognition of the bank’s excellence in Islamic finance.

The Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards are recognised as a global benchmark in Islamic finance, honouring institutions for delivering innovation, integrity and impact in Shariah-compliant financial solutions.

Showcasing its leadership in the Islamic banking sector, Emirates Islamic was awarded Middle East’s Best Islamic Bank and UAE’s Best Islamic Bank. The awards reflect the bank’s outstanding financial performance, continued focus on innovation and delivering an exceptional customer experience.

The awards acknowledge the Bank’s successful execution of its strategic priorities, including market share expansion, digitisation, ESG integration, data-driven decision making, and talent development. The Bank has pioneered the growth of the Islamic banking sector in the UAE and the wider region through the introduction of innovative Shariah-compliant products and services, enhanced digital banking capabilities, and seamless omnichannel experiences.

Emirates Islamic’s commitment to delivering superior customer experiences, backed by cutting-edge digital solutions and a culture of service excellence, has enabled it to build deeper customer relationships, among both individuals and corporates, while setting new benchmarks for Islamic banking across the Middle East.

Emirates Islamic also won the award for World’s Best Sukuk Deal for its USD 500 million Sustainability-Linked Financing Sukuk, a benchmark in Islamic banking product innovation aligned to ESG principles. The ground-breaking issuance was the first Sustainability-Linked Financing Sukuk globally, showcasing Emirates Islamic’s commitment to sustainable finance and the Bank’s key role in supporting the UAE’s sustainability goals. The Sukuk attracted a very strong order book reaching USD 1.2 billion and was oversubscribed 2.4 times.

The bank was also recognised for World’s Best Islamic Real Estate Deal, Middle East’s Best Islamic Real Estate Deal and UAE’s Best Islamic Local Currency Deal.

Farid AlMulla, Chief Executive Officer at Emirates Islamic, commented: “We are delighted to be recognised as the best Islamic bank across regional and local markets at the Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards 2026. As the UAE continues to expand its global influence and elevate Islamic finance in line with the UAE Islamic Finance and Halal

Industry Strategy 2025-2031, Emirates Islamic is proud to play a leading role in supporting this ambition. Through our expanding suite of Shariah-compliant products and services, digital capabilities and scale of innovation, we are meeting the growing demand for responsible banking solutions and reinforcing our position as an award-winning leader in the market.”

Mohammad Kamran Wajid, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Emirates Islamic, said: “As the flagship Islamic banking arm of the Emirates NBD Group, Emirates Islamic is setting a new gold standard for innovation, impact, and leadership in Islamic finance in the Middle East and beyond. This recognition reflects the strength of our financial performance, the trust of our customers and the dedication of our people. As demand for ethical, accessible and digitally enabled financial services continues to grow, we remain focused on creating meaningful value for our customers, supporting businesses and communities, and contributing to the UAE’s ambition to become a global hub for Islamic finance and sustainable economic growth.”

About Emirates Islamic:

Emirates Islamic Bank PJSC (Emirates Islamic) is the Islamic banking arm of the Emirates NBD Group and is a leading Islamic financial institution in the UAE. Established in 2004 as Emirates Islamic Bank, the bank has established itself as a major player in the highly competitive financial services sector in the UAE.

Emirates Islamic offers a comprehensive range of Shariah-compliant products and services across the Personal, Business and Corporate banking spectrum with a network of 39 branches and 231 ATMs/CDMs across the UAE. In the area of online and mobile banking, the bank is an innovator, being the first Islamic bank in the UAE to launch a mobile banking app and offer Apple Pay, as well as being the first Islamic bank in the world to launch Chat Banking services for customers via WhatsApp.

Emirates Islamic has consistently received local and international awards, in recognition of its strong record of performance and innovation in banking. The Bank won the “Islamic Retail Bank of the Year – Middle East” and “Most Innovative Murabaha” awards at the prestigious The Banker’s Islamic Banking Awards 2025. Additionally, the bank was named ‘Best Islamic Corporate Bank in the World’ and ‘Best Islamic Financial Institution in the UAE’ at the Global Finance – Best Islamic Financial Institutions Awards 2025. Emirates Islamic was also awarded the prestigious title of ‘The World’s Best Islamic Digital Bank’ at the Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards 2025.

As part of its commitment to the UAE community, the Emirates Islamic Charity Fund provides financial aid to those in need, with a focus on food, shelter, health, education and social welfare contributions.