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Khaled Darwish

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  • 3 min read
  • Banks held more assets at February’s end, pointing to broader balance sheet growth across the system.
  • UAE money supply also increased, showing stronger liquidity conditions across households, firms, and financial institutions.
  • Private sector deposits delivered the biggest lift, giving banks a wider funding base for lending.
  • Gross credit growth stayed firm, helped mainly by stronger lending flows into private businesses.

 

Fresh CBUAE data shows a banking system with rising liquidity, larger deposits, and stronger credit activity. Total bank assets reached AED5.47 trillion by late February, adding further weight to recent expansion. Credit also moved upward during the month, with private sector borrowing providing the clearest support. Deposit growth stayed broad, with residents and non-residents both adding fresh balances. Those changes matter because funding, lending, and liquidity often move together during stronger banking periods.

Money supply measures also pointed upward across the main aggregates during February 2026. The narrow gauge, M1, rose as cash outside banks and transaction deposits both increased. The broader gauge, M2, also climbed after a strong rise in quasi-monetary balances. Corporate balances gave the largest support within that broader measure during the month. Household balances also rose strongly, showing firmer savings and demand deposit activity. Deposits from government-related entities added support, while financial corporations also recorded notable gains. M3 increased too, even with a drop in government sector deposits during February.

That mix suggests liquidity stayed healthy even while one public deposit category moved lower. For readers tracking the UAE money supply, February delivered another sign of broad financial expansion. The rise in the monetary base added another positive signal for underlying banking conditions. Reserve balances, currency issuance, and overnight account balances all moved upward during the month. A decline in bills and Islamic certificates softened overall growth, yet did not reverse direction.

UAE banking sector assets gain support from liquidity and deposits

The balance sheet story looked stronger once lending figures entered the picture. Total gross credit reached AED2.63 trillion by the end of February, extending January’s advance. Most of that increase came from domestic credit, which expanded by AED20.6 billion. Private sector borrowing gave the largest boost, showing continued demand from companies and business activity. Lending to government-related entities also increased, though at a smaller pace overall. Credit to the government sector fell again, trimming part of the wider domestic increase. Even so, gross credit growth stayed positive because private demand outweighed the public sector decline.

Deposit figures reinforced the same picture across the funding side of bank balance sheets. Total bank deposits reached AED3.40 trillion by late February, posting a solid monthly increase. Resident balances accounted for most of that move, while overseas balances also rose nicely. Within resident funds, private sector deposits made the largest contribution by a wide margin. Government-related entities and other financial corporations also added support through moderate monthly increases. Government sector balances moved lower, though those declines failed to offset broader private inflows. From my standpoint, this pattern points to confidence from firms, households, and institutional depositors.

These details matter because rising deposits often give banks more room to support lending needs. They also show where activity sits inside the system, with private money playing a larger role. CBUAE data for February, therefore, paints a clear and practical picture for readers. UAE banking sector assets rose alongside stronger funding, healthier liquidity, and broader private participation. The combined increase in UAE money supply, private sector deposits, and monetary base UAE measures supports that view. With gross credit growth still led by private borrowers, February ended with solid momentum across UAE banks.

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  • Banking, Banking System, Economy, Government, UAE

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The Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 placed the United Arab Emirates sixth among the world’s leading Muslim-friendly destinations, a ranking that hands the country a governance test as much as a tourism win. Mastercard and CrescentRating released the 11th edition of the Global Muslim Travel Index 2026, scoring the UAE at 75 and awarding it a perfect 100 for halal dining and prayer facilities. The result reflects years of policy work on air links, transit and visa rules. Yet the report raises a sharper question about who controls the systems travelers now trust to plan their journeys.

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The index assessed 150 destinations, covering more than 98 percent of global Muslim visitor arrivals. It scored each one across the ACES framework: Access, Communications, Environment and Services. The UAE held its standing as one of the most accessible destinations, helped by strong air and land connectivity, efficient public transit and seamless visa policies. Malaysia kept the top spot for the eleventh year running with a score of 83, reinforcing its lead in halal tourism and Muslim-friendly services. Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia shared second place at 79 each. Qatar ranked fifth at 76.

Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 tracks a growing market

The Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 projects international Muslim arrivals to reach 208 million this year, up from 196 million in 2025. By 2030, the figure could climb to 262 million, with annual spending estimated at $310 billion. Those numbers set the stakes for the Muslim travel market. They also explain why governments treat destination readiness as economic policy, not hospitality alone.

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GMTI 2026 found that 80 percent of Muslim travelers surveyed now use AI tools to plan trips. These platforms locate halal dining, find prayer spaces, compare transport routes, and offer tailored recommendations. For travelers who must confirm faith-based needs before and during a journey, that support carries weight. The report warns of a harder consequence. Destinations that fail to digitize their Muslim-friendly services risk exclusion from AI-driven recommendation systems, whatever the quality of their physical infrastructure. Competition is moving from what a destination offers to whether an algorithm can see it. That shift places private technology firms at the center of public tourism outcomes, and it raises real questions about accountability. Who audits the systems that decide which destinations a traveler sees? The report points to e-visas, biometric borders, AI chatbots and real-time translation as tools that cut friction across the trip.

UAE Muslim travel leans on human support

Digital tools have spread fast, yet direct human help still matters, in Arabic and English above all. The UAE has invested in trained frontline staff, tourism portals, clear transit signage and detailed travel guides. Such communication lets visitors find help while feeling respected and included. On this measure, the country ranks among the leaders. Mastercard CrescentRating frames the wider picture through resilience. Rising fuel costs, geopolitical tensions and airspace disruptions are pushing people toward closer, more predictable destinations. The report calls this a move toward home-continent mobility, where travelers adjust plans rather than cancel them. For the UAE, the task now is holding its place as both a physical hub and a trusted name inside the digital systems that shape how people travel.

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Warren Buffett ends donations to the Gates Foundation
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Warren Buffett ends donations to the Gates Foundation after nearly two decades of loyal support. The 95-year-old former Berkshire Hathaway CEO gave nothing to the charity this donation cycle. Instead, he moved 12 million Class B Berkshire Hathaway shares, worth nearly $6 billion, to family. Every share went to four Buffett family foundations run by his three grown children. This decision ends a giving partnership worth roughly $48 billion over the past 19 years. You are watching one of the largest shifts in modern American philanthropic giving unfold.

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He told CNBC back in March he had not spoken with Gates for months. Records show Buffett sent the Gates Foundation more than $47 billion in stock overall. Last year Buffett still sent the Gates Foundation about $4.6 billion in Berkshire stock. My analysis indicates the Epstein cloud pushed Buffett toward a cleaner, family-only giving plan.

Why Warren Buffett ends donations to the Gates Foundation now

Warren Buffett ends donations to the Gates Foundation and now backs his own family instead. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation takes 9 million shares worth about $4.5 billion today. Buffett founded the charity in 1964 and named it for his late wife Susan. The foundation has funded reproductive health work and college scholarships for many years now. His daughter Susie chairs the board and also runs the separate Sherwood Foundation now. Two sons, Howard and Peter, each guide a foundation receiving 1 million shares apiece. Buffett said, “My goal is to dispose of all of my Berkshire shares within about eight years.”

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China moves against Hormuz’s oil price shocks with a cleaner fleet

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