First Abu Dhabi Bank issued the Gulf region's first-ever Blue Bond on 28 August 2025, raising USD 50 million through a five-year privately placed instrument arranged with Crédit Agricole CIB. The transaction makes FAB the first financial institution domiciled in the Gulf Cooperation Council to access the blue bond market, a segment of sustainable debt that restricts the use of proceeds specifically to ocean and water-related projects and marine biodiversity initiatives.
The bond was aligned with FAB's Sustainable Finance Framework and the International Capital Market Association's Green Bond Principles. Proceeds are earmarked for eligible blue projects in sustainable water management, climate change adaptation, sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture, and conservation of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity.
FAB is the largest bank by total assets in the UAE.
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