UAE banks investments reach $202bln by end of January
ABU DHABI: The total investments of banks operating in the UAE rose by 1 percent month-on-month, increasing by AED7.3 billion in January to reach AED742.9 billion by the end of the month, marking a 16.1 percent year-on-year growth compared to January 2024.
According to banking indicators released today by the Central Bank of the UAE, bank investments in securities representing debt on others grew to AED332.3 billion at the end of January, reflecting a 26.1 percent annual increase.
Held-to-maturity bonds rose by 7.9 percent year-on-year but declined by 1.1 percent month-on-month, reaching AED335.7 billion.
Banks' investments in equities grew by 19.4 percent year-on-year, despite a 1.5 percent monthly decline, to settle at AED19.1 billion. Other investments increased by 13.2 percent year-on-year and 2.2 percent month-on-month, reaching AED55.8 billion at the end of January.
This investment performance coincided with a 9.5 percent annual growth in total credit, which reached AED2.186 trillion, while total deposits grew by 11.8 percent annually to exceed AED2.84 trillion.
Banking assets increased by 11 percent year-on-year and by 0.1 percent month-on-month to surpass AED4.562 trillion by the end of January.
Statistics from the banking operations released today also showed that the value of transfers processed through the UAE Funds Transfer System (UAEFTS) exceeded AED1.786 trillion in January, reflecting a growth of more than 18 percent. This included AED1.109 trillion in interbank transfers and approximately AED677.64 billion in customer transfers.
The value of cheques cleared via image-based processing reached AED118.48 billion in January, involving 1.956 million cheques.
Cash withdrawals from the Central Bank amounted to AED19.929 billion in January, while deposits totalled around AED15.217 billion.
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