
Central Bank of UAE imposes financial sanction of Dh5.9 million on branch foreign bank branch
ABU DHABI (WAM)The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) imposed a financial sanction of Dh5.9 million on foreign bank branch operating in the UAE, pursuant to Article (14) of the Federal Decree Law No. (20) of 2018 on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Illegal Organisations and its amendments.The financial sanction is based on a CBUAE examination, which revealed the bank's failures to comply with its Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Illegal Organisations framework, and related regulations.
The CBUAE, through its supervisory and regulatory mandates, endeavours to ensure that all banks and their staff, abide by the UAE laws, regulations, and standards established by the CBUAE in order to maintain transparency and integrity of the financial transactions, and safeguard the UAE financial system.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Al Etihad
3 hours ago
- Al Etihad
SCA developing four legislations on carbon credits, retail Sukuk
4 Aug 2025 14:44 ABU DHABI (WAM)Waleed Al Awadhi, CEO of the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), has announced that the authority is studying and preparing four regulatory projects, 'legislations' aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of financial markets, increasing transparency, and protecting to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), he said that the legislations under development include the regulation of trading platforms for carbon credits, a strategic project supporting national efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. The authority will set licensing and operational requirements for these platforms, while operators will establish their own operational Awadhi added that the SCA is finalising a draft regulation for retail Sukuk, designed to broaden the investor base by enabling access to the bonds and Sukuk market through fractional investment instruments, while safeguarding investors' rights within a comprehensive regulatory framework. This is expected to boost liquidity and expand financial noted that the SCA is also undertaking legislative updates to the capital market authority law and financial sector regulations to expand the authority's powers, enabling it to keep pace with modern financial activities and implement advanced supervisory mechanisms to manage risks and protect legislation in progress concerns the division of public joint stock companies, providing greater flexibility in corporate structuring and enhancing operational Board of Directors recently approved a comprehensive regulatory framework for the recognition and valuation of goodwill in public joint stock companies, as an intangible asset encompassing brand strength and corporate Awadhi stressed that this package of projects aims to enhance the efficiency of the country's financial markets, broaden the investor base, and diversify financial products, thereby consolidating the UAE's position as a leading global financial centre combining efficiency, reliability, and sustainable also affirmed that the Authority has made significant progress in strengthening the UAE's position in the field of sustainable finance by issuing a comprehensive regulatory framework for green bonds, green sukuk and sustainability-linked instruments. The framework aligns with global best practices and obliges issuers to direct proceeds towards environmentally sustainable pointed out that the authority has extended the exemption from registration fees for companies wishing to list green bonds and Sukuk, encouraging greater uptake. The total value of issues registered for listing reached AED5.5 billion during the the regulation came into effect, the SCA has approved the registration of 11 green bonds and Sukuk issues with a total value of approximately AED24.6 billion. Meanwhile, the total value of sustainability-linked local and international issuances amounted to US$8.7 billion, of which US$6.7 billion were listed on local and international affirmed that all the authority's initiatives aim to enhance market efficiency, expand financial inclusion, and offer a diverse range of financial products to meet the needs of various types of investors. Al Awadhi also emphasised the SCA's commitment to balancing support for innovation with maintaining financial stability and investor protection, thereby reinforcing the UAE's status as a leading strategic hub in international financial markets.


Emirates 24/7
4 hours ago
- Emirates 24/7
CBUAE issues 2024 Financial Stability Report
The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) has issued its 2024 Financial Stability Report, which includes a comprehensive assessment of financial system stability and financial developments across sectors amidst increased global challenges and risks. The report affirmed the robustness of the UAE banking sector, supported by strong capital and liquidity buffers, alongside improved asset quality and continued growth. Financial stability risks in the country remained broadly contained and unchanged, due to robust economic fundamentals, prudent policies, and effective risk management. The report reviews domestic and global macroeconomic trends, financial market conditions, the performance of various sectors, and regulatory developments, with a focus on resilience aspects and emerging risks. It also underscores the CBUAE's commitment to fostering proactive risk monitoring, innovation, and transparency, supporting financial system resilience, and collaborating with local and international partners to enhance the UAE's position as a leading global financial hub. The strong performance of the financial system contributed to enhancing the nation's economic resilience. The UAE's real GDP grew by 4 percent in 2024, driven by growth momentum in the non-oil sector, a key driver for economic diversification. The overall GDP growth outlook is also expected to remain positive for the coming years, reaching 4.4 percent in 2025 and rising to 5.4 percent in 2026. In 2024, the UAE's financial system experienced robust and stable conditions. A significant step in enhancing coordination among key stakeholders was the operationalisation of the UAE Financial Stability Council, chaired by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, Chairman of the Central Bank and Chairman of the Financial Stability Council. This move represented a crucial stride towards bolstering coordination among stakeholders, activating systemic risk oversight, facilitating the assessment of emerging risks, and streamlining timely policy responses to horizontal risks. 2024 also saw the CBUAE reinforce its regulatory and supervisory frameworks through the implementation of new macroprudential tools, strengthening cybersecurity requirements, advancing in sustainable finance, and expanding the scope of climate change risk assessment, in line with international best practices. The comprehensive stress tests conducted by the CBUAE in 2024 confirmed the ability of the UAE's banks to absorb macroeconomic shocks, continue providing credit facilities even under hypothetical adverse scenarios, and maintain high levels of capital and liquidity exceeding minimum requirements, highlighting the banking sector's resilience in addressing global risks. The UAE's non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) sector achieved significant positive results at various levels. The insurance sector remained resilient, with adequate solvency positions and substantial growth of 21.4 percent, bringing total gross written premiums to AED64.8 billion, thereby reinforcing policyholders' rights. Overall, finance companies maintained adequate capitalisation with further improvements in liquidity levels, while money exchange businesses continued to demonstrate their resilience and operational stability. 2024 also witnessed an acceleration in digital transformation, reflected in increased adoption rates of FinTech and digital payments, the expansion of banking services, and the integration of artificial intelligence and data analytics. The CBUAE continued to develop the national payment and settlement infrastructure through the launch of the Domestic Card Scheme "Jaywan", the widespread adoption of the 'Aani' Instant Payment Platform, and the progress made in the central bank digital currency (CBDC) "Digital Dirham", all of which enhanced the financial system's efficiency and resilience. The report anticipates that the outlook for the UAE's financial system will remain positive, supported by robust economic fundamentals, prudent economic management, and the CBUAE's efforts to support financial system resilience, enhance proactive risk monitoring, innovation, and transparency. Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the CBUAE, said, "The UAE maintained strong economic and financial conditions in 2024, despite growing economic challenges and increasing global risks, supported by national economic growth and the banking system's robustness and resilience. "At CBUAE, we are committed to steadily progressing towards achieving the vision of our wise leadership, the nation's development plans, and our strategic objectives by developing the financial system's regulatory and supervisory framework to ensure sustainable resilience, enhance financial and economic stability, and drive growth momentum and prosperity in the UAE."


Al Etihad
5 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Central Bank of the UAE issues 2024 financial stability report
ABU DHABI (WAM) The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) has issued its 2024 Financial Stability Report, which includes a comprehensive assessment of financial system stability and financial developments across sectors amidst increased global challenges and risks. The report affirmed the robustness of the UAE banking sector, supported by strong capital and liquidity buffers, alongside improved asset quality and continued growth. Financial stability risks in the country remained broadly contained and unchanged, due to robust economic fundamentals, prudent policies, and effective risk management. The report reviews domestic and global macroeconomic trends, financial market conditions, the performance of various sectors, and regulatory developments, with a focus on resilience aspects and emerging risks. It also underscores the CBUAE's commitment to fostering proactive risk monitoring, innovation, and transparency, supporting financial system resilience, and collaborating with local and international partners to enhance the UAE's position as a leading global financial hub. The strong performance of the financial system contributed to enhancing the nation's economic resilience. The UAE's real GDP grew by 4 percent in 2024, driven by growth momentum in the non-oil sector, a key driver for economic diversification. The overall GDP growth outlook is also expected to remain positive for the coming years, reaching 4.4 percent in 2025 and rising to 5.4 percent in 2026. In 2024, the UAE's financial system experienced robust and stable conditions. A significant step in enhancing coordination among key stakeholders was the operationalisation of the UAE Financial Stability Council, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Chairman of the Presidential Court, Chairman of the Central Bank, and Chairman of the Financial Stability Council. This move represented a crucial stride towards bolstering coordination among stakeholders, activating systemic risk oversight, facilitating the assessment of emerging risks, and streamlining timely policy responses to horizontal risks. 2024 also saw the CBUAE reinforce its regulatory and supervisory frameworks through the implementation of new macroprudential tools, strengthening cybersecurity requirements, advancing in sustainable finance, and expanding the scope of climate change risk assessment, in line with international best practices. The comprehensive stress tests conducted by the CBUAE in 2024 confirmed the ability of the UAE's banks to absorb macroeconomic shocks, continue providing credit facilities under hypothetical adverse scenarios, and maintain high levels of capital and liquidity exceeding minimum requirements, highlighting the banking sector's resilience in addressing global risks. The UAE's non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) sector achieved significant positive results at various levels. The insurance sector remained resilient, with adequate solvency positions and substantial growth of 21.4 percent, bringing total gross written premiums to Dh64.8 billion, thereby reinforcing policyholders' rights. Overall, finance companies maintained adequate capitalisation with further improvements in liquidity levels, while money exchange businesses continued to demonstrate their resilience and operational stability. 2024 also witnessed an acceleration in digital transformation, reflected in increased adoption rates of FinTech and digital payments, the expansion of banking services, and the integration of artificial intelligence and data analytics. The CBUAE continued to develop the national payment and settlement infrastructure through the launch of the Domestic Card Scheme "Jaywan", the widespread adoption of the 'Aani' Instant Payment Platform, and the progress made in the central bank digital currency (CBDC) "Digital Dirham", all of which enhanced the financial system's efficiency and resilience. The report anticipates that the outlook for the UAE's financial system will remain positive, supported by robust economic fundamentals, prudent economic management, and the CBUAE's efforts to support financial system resilience, enhance proactive risk monitoring, innovation, and transparency. Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the CBUAE, said, "The UAE maintained strong economic and financial conditions in 2024, despite growing economic challenges and increasing global risks, supported by national economic growth and the banking system's robustness and resilience. "At CBUAE, we are committed to steadily progressing towards achieving the vision of our wise leadership, the nation's development plans, and our strategic objectives by developing the financial system's regulatory and supervisory framework to ensure sustainable resilience, enhance financial and economic stability, and drive growth momentum and prosperity in the UAE."