UAE Islamic Bank Assets Total Dh1.4 Trillion as of June 2026

Islamic bank assets in the UAE totaled Dh1.4 trillion in June 2026, Gulf News reported in coverage published August 13, 2026. The figures are credited to the Central Bank of the UAE. The Cabinet approved the national strategy behind the sector’s targets in May 2025.

As of June 2026, Islamic bank assets in the UAE amounted to Dh1.4 trillion, Gulf News reported. Gulf News and Dubai Standard reported on August 13, 2026 that 43 Islamic financial institutions are licensed and that the UAE held third place on the Islamic Finance Development Indicator for 2025. The two reports put the 2031 target at Dh2.56 trillion in Islamic finance assets.

Where the Figures Appeared

Gulf News and Dubai Standard published the numbers on August 13, 2026, and they weren’t alone: Gulf Today and Arabian Business carried the story the same day. Dubai Standard reported the plan’s official name as the UAE Islamic Finance and Halal Industry Strategy 2025-2031. The Halal Times has previously covered the UAE’s Islamic finance market and Islamic banking in Dubai.

Strategy Extends Beyond Banking

The strategy isn’t only about bank balance sheets. It sets out plans to grow the UAE’s sukuk, Islamic money market and Islamic fund sectors, and to build larger, more competitive Islamic financial institutions, Gulf News reported on August 13, 2026. The plan also aims to bind Islamic finance more tightly to the wider halal economy, calling for more local production of high-value halal goods, a halal traceability system to support re-exports, and greater backing for SMEs and technology startups in the sector, according to Gulf News in that same August 13, 2026 report.

The Sharia Governance Framework

The Higher Shari’ah Authority was set up in 2018, Dubai Standard reported on August 13, 2026, and it has issued over 280 standards and resolutions, Gulf News reported the same day. Gulf News and Dubai Standard also put the number of Sharia governance standards issued at more than nine.

The May 2025 Cabinet Approval

The plan dates to a Cabinet session in May 2025. Gulf News reported at the time that the Cabinet had set Dh2.56 trillion as a six-year target, and that a committee headed by the Central Bank Governor would be set up to oversee execution. “The goal is to develop the Islamic finance industry, lead global Islamic finance activities, and raise halal product exports worldwide,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said in May 2025 when the Cabinet approved the strategy, according to Gulf News.

Sukuk Targets for 2031

Bank assets aren’t the only number in the plan. Gulf News reported in May 2025 that the strategy would lift domestically listed Islamic sukuk issuances past Dh660 billion by 2031, a level Khaleej Times put at roughly US$180 billion in its own May 2025 coverage. Khaleej Times, in that same May 2025 report, valued the Dh2.56 trillion asset target at about US$697 billion, and reported a separate target of Dh395 billion, or about US$108 billion, for internationally listed sukuk by 2031.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are UAE Islamic bank assets in 2026?

The June 2026 figure for Islamic bank assets in the UAE was Dh1.4 trillion, Gulf News reported in coverage published August 13, 2026, citing figures credited to the Central Bank of the UAE.

What is the UAE’s 2031 Islamic finance target?

The UAE Islamic Finance and Halal Industry Strategy 2025-2031 targets Dh2.56 trillion in Islamic finance assets by 2031, according to Gulf News and Dubai Standard, reporting on August 13, 2026. Khaleej Times valued that target at about US$697 billion in its May 2025 report.

How many Islamic financial institutions are licensed in the UAE?

Forty-three Islamic financial institutions hold UAE licenses, Gulf News and Dubai Standard reported on August 13, 2026.

Where does the UAE rank in global Islamic finance?

The UAE ranked third globally in the 2025 Islamic Finance Development Indicator, per Gulf News and Dubai Standard, reporting on August 13, 2026.

What sukuk targets does the UAE strategy set for 2031?

Gulf News reported in May 2025 that the strategy would lift the UAE’s domestically listed sukuk above Dh660 billion by 2031. Khaleej Times, also reporting in May 2025, put that at about US$180 billion and gave a separate Dh395 billion target, roughly US$108 billion, for internationally listed sukuk by 2031.