Al Ahli's profits grow by 17% to KD 37.1 million in the first half of 2026
- Talal Bahbahani: The results reflect the Group’s success in achieving its objectives and maintaining a sustainable growth trajectory.
- Gilles Jan van der Toel: The improvement in our indicators amid challenges is a testament to our success in navigating changes.
Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait Group announced its strong financial results for the first half of 2026, recording growth across its key financial metrics, with net profits reaching KD 37.1 million, representing a 17 percent increase compared to the first half of 2025.
These results underscore the Group’s continued execution of its strategic priorities, disciplined balance sheet management, and flexible business model, which enabled Al Ahli to achieve robust growth and exceptional profitability despite rising geopolitical and economic uncertainty in the region.
The Group further strengthened its profitability, with the return on equity rising to 9.98 percent and earnings per share growing to 12 fils. This improvement was supported by disciplined cost management and a sustained focus on operational efficiency, driving the cost-to-income ratio down to 43.1 percent, outperforming both budgeted levels and those of the previous year.
Operating income increased by 10 percent to KD 119.22 million, while operating profits rose by 8 percent to KD 67.85 million. The loan and advance portfolio reached KD 4.92 billion, reflecting a 4.40 percent growth in the first half, while total customer deposits stood at KD 4.33 billion. Total assets grew by 1.2 percent to KD 7.27 billion. Asset quality remained among the strongest in the sector, with the non-performing loan ratio holding steady at a low of 1.25 percent, and the provision coverage ratio maintaining a robust level of 340 percent, reflecting the Group’s strong risk management framework and conservative underwriting approach.
The Group maintained a strong capital position, with the capital adequacy ratio (CAR) at 18.03 percent, while shareholders’ equity increased by 9.80 percent to KD 697.56 million.
Commenting on the results, Talal Mohammad Reza Bahbahani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Ahli Group, expressed his satisfaction with the financial performance in the first half of the year, which clearly reflects the Group’s success in its strategy to maintain a sustainable growth pace and its high capacity to keep pace with rapid regional and international developments.
He added that Al Ahli Group achieved balanced growth in its key financial indicators, driven by the expansion of its operational activities, a conservative approach to risk management, and the maintenance of asset quality. He noted that the results embody the success of its strategic plans and the Group’s ability to seize promising opportunities, thereby enhancing the added value it delivers to shareholders and all its stakeholders.
Bahbahani emphasized that the continuous investment in comprehensive digital transformation and the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies in operations directly contributed to improving operational efficiency. He pointed out that the first half saw the launch of several new solutions, including “ChatGPT Enterprise” and “Microsoft Copilot,” as well as robotic process automation (RPA), delivering exceptional customer experiences to meet diverse expectations and further developing solutions within the bank’s mobile app. This aligns with keeping pace with developments in the banking industry, boosting productivity, and enhancing the banking experience for various customer segments. He noted that the coming period will witness the introduction of additional services to strengthen the bank’s competitive position in the local market.
Bebhawi noted that the group maintained its high credit rating of ‘A’ from Fitch and ‘A2’ from Moody’s, underscoring the strength of its financial position and its ability to navigate various challenges and meet the requirements of stakeholders in terms of performance evaluation, regulatory indicators, and operations within Kuwait’s banking sector. The bank received numerous awards and recognitions for its excellence in providing digital services and its continuous development of its banking solutions application.
Bebhawi thanked the Board of Directors, the executive management, and all employees for their efforts and contributions to the success of Al Ahli Group’s strategic plans and for elevating its leading position in the banking sector. He also praised the continuous support provided by all regulatory authorities in Kuwait, Egypt, and the UAE, and their steadfast commitment to developing the banking sector.
For his part, Al Ahli Group CEO Gilles Jean van der Toel stated that the group’s performance during the first half of 2026 reflects the successful implementation of our strategic plans, highlighting the strength and diversity of our business model. We achieved double-digit profit growth while enhancing returns and the capital base, maintaining excellent asset quality, and delivering results that exceeded our internal targets despite the challenging regional operating environment.
He added, “We continued to achieve growth rates in key financial indicators, driven by strong operational performance and sustained customer confidence. We persisted in executing our digital transformation vision by strengthening our technological infrastructure and launching innovative, instant payment solutions that meet our customers’ expectations and provide them with a seamless and secure banking experience.”
He pointed out that the first half saw the return of the Al Fawaz account lottery draws, with the execution of postponed draws to announce winners of various cash prizes. Additionally, the account was relaunched with a completely new design, its draw structure was developed, a new semi-annual draw was added, and prize values were increased. This reflects Al Ahli’s commitment to enhancing customer trust and satisfaction, encouraging savings, and attracting customers to choose it as their preferred banking option in Kuwait.
Van der Toel explained that the bank launched the ‘ABK Build’ platform during the first half, the first of its kind in the local market. It is a platform designed to provide housing facilities for customers planning to build, offering them the opportunity to receive discounts, guidance, and assistance.
Van der Toel emphasized that the bank is keen on embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability concepts and adopting them as an integral part of its daily operations. This is evident in the issuance of the sixth annual Sustainability Report, which confirms the adoption of the highest standards in this regard and demonstrates progress across various operational processes within the group.
Van der Toel noted that Al Ahli Kuwait-UAE successfully obtained a license from the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Center as a trustee agent for real estate guarantee services, becoming the first Kuwaiti and Gulf bank to offer this service to customers in Abu Dhabi. This achievement reflects the significant trust and distinguished position the bank has attained in the UAE market.
He added that Al Ahli Kuwait-Egypt continued to strengthen its branch network by opening a new branch inside East Hub Mall in the Madinaty project in eastern Cairo, as part of its ambitious plans to enhance its geographic footprint and expand its banking services.
He concluded, “The group continues to leverage its diverse regional presence, with both Egypt and the UAE contributing positively to profit growth and supporting the group’s ability to achieve sustainable returns across economic cycles and markets.”
He emphasized that the bank continues to enhance its employees’ capabilities by organizing training programs in collaboration with various specialized entities across different banking fields, and by improving the benefits provided to its workforce, thereby strengthening the bank’s ability to attract top banking talent.
He added that the bank is committed to providing an ideal work environment that boosts productivity and elevates customer service, noting that during the first half of the year, the bank sponsored and supported numerous health, education, sports, and humanitarian events and initiatives under its corporate social responsibility program.
Van der Tol continued, “We remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding our customers’ data as an integral part of our ongoing participation in the ‘Be Bank Aware’ financial literacy campaign, jointly organized by the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Kuwait Bankers Association.”
• Maintain the non-performing loans ratio at 1.25 percent
