Bank ABC (Arab Banking Corporation), the Manama-headquartered lender, announced on 25 June 2025 that it had been named Bahrain's best bank for sustainable finance in Euromoney's Awards for Excellence 2025. The bank also won the title of best digital bank in Bahrain, while its subsidiaries Bank ABC Islamic and ila Bank, its mobile-only digital banking platform, also received recognition. Euromoney published its Bahrain winners on 21 May 2025.
DEVELOPING-MARKET FOCUS
In its citation, Euromoney said nearly 90% of Bank ABC's sustainable finance was directed to developing countries, including the GCC, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Brazil. The publication contrasted this with the global picture, in which only about 15% of climate finance reaches emerging markets.
Transactions cited by Euromoney included Bank ABC's role as co-lead manager on a USD 500 million green sukuk in 2023, and a financing agreement it arranged with Yellow Door Energy covering 25 solar photovoltaic assets with a combined capacity of 42MW across the UAE, Bahrain and Oman. The bank also acted as arranger and hedge provider on a USD 1 billion sustainability-linked facility for the agribusiness group of RGE.
Euromoney said Bank ABC's sustainability strategy is built on five pillars: governance; operations; risk management; financing the transition; and people and communities. The bank has established a sustainability steering committee chaired by the group chief executive.
DIGITAL AWARD
In the digital category, Euromoney pointed to the bank's AI-powered corporate portal, enhanced trade finance capabilities, cross-border payments and an upgraded AI assistant. Bank ABC's group chief executive, Sael Al Waary, said the awards reflected the bank's focus on innovation and its responsibility to support a more sustainable future.
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