FAB Egypt Capital Optimization

Project Description

This summary covers equity investments by First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC (FAB or the Group), in its subsidiary in Egypt, First Abu Dhabi Bank Misr S.A.E (FABMISR or the Subsidiary). The investor has applied for a MIGA guarantee of up to USD550 million for capital optimization cover for a period of up to 3 years (the Project).  

Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, FAB was formed in 2017, following the merger of National Bank of Abu Dhabi (founded in 1968) and First Gulf Bank (founded in 1979). As of September-end 2025, FAB’s largest shareholder is the Abu Dhabi government, with 37.9% of shares, the Abu Dhabi ruling family holds 17.8% of shares, while UAE entities and individuals own 20.2%  and foreigners hold 24.1%, each. The Group operates across over 20 markets and serves more than 4 million customers worldwide, with the support of over 7,500 employees. FAB is the finance and trade gateway to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. With total assets of AED1.38 trillion (USD376 billion) as of September-end 2025, FAB is among the world’s largest banking groups. 

FAB is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and rated Aa3/AA-/AA- by Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch, respectively, with a stable outlook The Group’s strategy is anchored on four pillars: (i) accelerate business growth and diversification, (ii) enhance digitization to drive customer centricity, (iii) accelerate trade and investment flows to/from the UAE and MENA through FAB’s global network, and (iv) develop sustainability leadership. 

FAB holds an MSCI ESG rating of ‘AA’ and is also ranked among the top 6% of banks globally by Refinitiv’s ESG Scores and ranked the Best diversified bank in MENA by Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating. The strategic focus on sustainability led FAB to be the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) bank to commit to net zero by 2050. FAB is also committed to lending, investing and facilitating AED500 billion (USD136 billion) in sustainable and transition financing by 2030. Further information on the FAB Group can be found on https://www.bankfab.com.

FABMISR, a subsidiary of the FAB Group, was established in 2021 after FAB acquired 100.0% of Bank Audi’s capital. At present, FABMISR serves more than 349,000 customers through 71 branches and 2,377 employees. FABMISR offers services across Investment Banking catering to large corporates, Corporate and Commercial Banking catering to MSMEs and Consumer Banking catering to individuals.

Environmental Categorization

FABMISR provides financial products and services to individuals, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and corporate clients in Egypt. The MIGA guarantee will support lending to MSMEs and climate finance. These transactions typically have limited environmental and social (E&S) risks and impacts that are few in number, site-specific, largely reversible and can be readily addressed through mitigation sectors. Transactions with significant adverse risks and impacts are expected to be limited in number. The Project has thus been categorized as FI-2 in accordance with MIGA’s Policy on Environmental and Social Sustainability (2013). 

The main E&S aspects of this Project relate to FABMISR’s ability to identify, assess, and manage the E&S risks and impacts associated with its lending activities and the management of labor and working conditions at the bank. MIGA analyzed FABMISR’s portfolio for types of transactions, tenors, sectors, and exposure to MIGA’s Exclusion List. MIGA also analyzed FABMISR’s E&S risk management procedures for lending activities against the requirements of Performance Standard 1: Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts (PS1), and labor practices in line with the requirements of Performance Standard 2: Labor and Working Conditions (PS2). 

For the purposes of the MIGA guarantee, FABMISR will be required to assess transactions against the MIGA Exclusion List; and applicable E&S laws and regulations in Egypt. In addition, eligible corporate loans will also be assessed against the MIGA Performance Standards. 

As of June 2025, FABMISR’s portfolio included the following business segments: corporate loans, about 59%; MSME loans, 26%; retail/consumers loans, 14%; and financial institutions, 2%. The sectors financed include construction, transportation and storage, energy and natural resources, information and communications, real estate and consumer goods. FABMISR has limited exposure to activities on the MIGA Exclusion List and exposure to oil and gas activities. 

In relation to E&S risk management, FAB Group has an Environmental, Social and Governance Risk Policy and an Environmental, Social and Governance Risk Framework; the policy and framework have been adopted by FABMISR. The documents cover E&S risk identification and assessment, as well as the application of the MIGA Performance Standards for Equator Principles transactions. The framework also identifies restricted, excluded or critical activities. FABMISR will be required to incorporate the MIGA Exclusion List into its E&S risk process and revise the scope of application of the MIGA Performance Standards to include eligible corporate loans in line with MIGA’s criteria. In addition, in line with PS1, FABMISR will be required to develop and implement an external communication mechanism for receiving and addressing E&S concerns raised by third parties about projects financed by the bank.

MIGA’s review of FAB MISR’s emergency preparedness and response measures revealed that the measures are in line with the requirements of PS1. MIGA’s review of the bank’s labor policies and procedures also indicated alignment with the requirements of PS2. FAB MISR has labor policies and procedures that address terms of employment, recruitment, renumeration, benefits, grievance management and non-discrimination.

For the proposed guarantee, FABMISR will be required to report annually to MIGA regarding the bank’s portfolio, the implementation of the E&S procedures as well as labor practices.

Development Impact

The aim of MIGA’s proposed guarantees is to help FAB reduce the risk of some of its assets in Egypt, which would lead to a reduction in the group’s risk-weighted assets (RWA) on a consolidated basis. The RWA capacity that is freed up is expected to be used by FAB to support the growth of its lending operations in Egypt, as possible, where the lending gap is large. The proposed Project is therefore expected to increase on a best effort basis access to finance businesses, including MSMEs, operating in Egypt while encouraging climate-related lending consistent with FAB Egypt’s strategy.