The Middle East has once again eclipsed most other regions by Tier 1 capital growth with an aggregate increase of 13.32% in the 2016 rankings. As expected, this performance was again driven by Gulf based banks. In The Banker's 2016 Top 1000 World Banks, Saudi Arabia’s National Commercial Bank and Qatar National Bank (QNB) have for the first time assumed positions in the top 90 banks globally, coming in at 87th and 89th, respectively.
QNB has maintained its position at number two in the top 25 Middle Eastern banks ranking. The gap to the number one spot, held by National Commercial Bank, has increased by only a marginal figure. The only notable change in the top five spots is the presence of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD). With a 14.56% increase in Tier 1 capital in the 2016 rankings, NBAD has climbed to fifth spot in the Middle East ranking, pushing Saudi Arabia’s Samba Financial Group into sixth.
