CBI’s first-half 2026 profit reached AED156 million, up 68 percent from the same period a year earlier. The result at Commercial Bank International rested on a wider balance sheet and money recovered from older accounts.
Second-quarter pre-tax net profit came to AED104 million. Recoveries linked to the clearing of legacy accounts lifted the quarter, and that pattern shaped the half-year figure.
What lifted CBI’s first-half 2026 profit
Net interest income rose 8 percent year-on-year to AED207 million. Growth in customer assets carried the increase. In the second quarter, net interest income climbed 9 percent to AED103 million, up from AED95 million a year earlier. The bank earns net interest income on the gap between what it charges borrowers and what it pays depositors. A bigger loan book widened that gap over the half.
The rise in CBI pre-tax net profit also tracked a sharp move in provisions. CBI booked a net impairment recovery of AED69 million. The figure reflects better asset quality as older accounts were settled. Legacy accounts are older loans and exposures a bank flags as troubled. Clearing them frees capital and can turn past write-downs into gains when borrowers repay, or assets sell.
Balance sheet and deposits
Total assets rose 12 percent year-on-year to AED23 billion. Loan growth and a larger strategic investment portfolio drove the gain. Customer deposits grew 7 percent to AED16.4 billion, which strengthened liquidity and the funding base.
The capital adequacy ratio stood at 16.5 percent. That level sits above the minimum set by regulators, leaving room to fund further lending. A cushion above the regulatory floor lets a bank keep lending through a downturn without breaching its limits.
Ali Sultan Rakkad Al Amri, chief executive of Commercial Bank International, tied the results to the bank’s transformation. The chief executive said the first-half figures reflected continued momentum, with profit growth built on disciplined execution, balance sheet work, and progress in resolving legacy accounts. He called the operating model resilient.
Al Amri pointed to solid fundamentals behind the performance. He cited a focus on a customer-centred experience across products, services, and channels, and on longer customer relationships.
Where the numbers sit among UAE bank results 2026
The half-year figure followed a first quarter in which CBI reported pre-tax net profit of AED52.1 million, up 14 percent year-on-year. For the full year 2025, the bank posted pre-tax net profit of AED311 million, its highest annual figure on record. The CBI first half 2026 profit outpaced the first-quarter run rate by a wide margin.
Commercial Bank International began operating in 1991 and is based in Dubai. Its shares trade on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, and the Central Bank of the UAE and the Securities and Commodities Authority oversee it. Set against the broader run of UAE bank results 2026, the bank’s steadier asset quality and firm capital position point to a lender closing the gap on larger peers.
Looking ahead, Al Amri said the bank would keep building its operational strength and financial position. He linked that work to supporting customers and delivering sustainable growth and long-term value for clients and shareholders.
