First Abu Dhabi Bank, formed by the merger between the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank, has made history as the first Emirati bank to top The Banker’s Top 100 Arab Banks ranking. Elsewhere, Morocco and Lebanon continue to impress. James King reports.
Latest articles from James King
CIB positions itself at forefront of banking's tech revolution
October 1, 2018Egypt’s Commercial International Bank is one of the Middle East and north Africa region's star performers when it comes to returns on assets and capital. James King speaks to the bank's managing director, Hisham Ezz Al-Arab, to discover the secret behind its success.
Hani Salem Sonbol: Making Islamic Finance work for the greater good
September 3, 2018The CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation describes how the organisation uses Islamic finance to bring about social change.
Mohammad Y Al-Hashel: Unlocking Islamic finance’s true potential
September 3, 2018Islamic finance should have a wider global appeal, writes Kuwait's central bank governor.
DP World CEO looks to the future of global trade
September 3, 2018Global civilisation and prosperity has been built on trade. For this to continue we should expand infrastructure, embrace innovation and foster mutual respect and trust, says DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.
Finance's helping hand: making refugees self sufficient
August 31, 2018Refugee camps are home to many small businesses – but this new demographic faces headwinds in getting financial services.
Why are Africa's banks failing female entrepreneurs?
August 1, 2018Female entrepreneurs in Africa are proving to be both successful and reliable. So why are they so frequently being failed by banks across the continent when it comes to financing their businesses? James King investigates.
West Africa stock market heads regional integration push
July 4, 2018The BRVM, the shared stock exchange for the eight West African Economic and Monetary Union states, is the world’s only unified and regionally integrated bourse. Though it faces several challenges it is ideally placed to lead the further integration of Africa’s stock exchanges, as James King discovers.
Top 1000 World Banks - FAB’s arrival turns Middle East table on its head
July 2, 2018A bank formed by a mega-merger in 2017 has moved the Middle East’s centre of gravity to the UAE. James King reports.
Top 1000 World Banks - South African banks lead a recovering African sector
July 2, 2018Africa’s slow but steady recovery is shown in the 2018 statistics, with Standard Bank once more topping the rankings. James King reports.