CBUAE Financial Stability Report Details Aani and Jaywan Progress

The Central Bank of the UAE released its Financial Stability Report 2025, an annual assessment that covers both the banking system and the country's payment infrastructure. The sector came into the report with clear momentum. Total banking assets grew 17.1% to AED 5.3 trillion by the end of 2025, and the loan portfolio expanded 17.8%, driven mainly by domestic lending in the retail and private corporate segments.

The same period brought stronger earnings. Net profits at UAE banks rose 11.7% to AED 90.8 billion, while asset quality continued to improve. The non-performing loan ratio fell to 3.3% in 2025, down from 4.7% in 2024 and from 8.2% in 2020. That steady decline points to a banking book that has absorbed earlier stress.

Capital remains comfortable. The capital adequacy ratio stood at 17.0%, above minimum regulatory requirements. Even in the adverse scenario of the CBUAE's 2025 stress tests, the average Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio fell from 14.1% to a low of 11.1%. It stayed above the minimum required level throughout the stress-test horizon, a sign the system could withstand a severe downturn without breaching its buffers.

The report also tracks the Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) Programme, and it flags clear progress on Aani and Jaywan. Both operate under Al Etihad Payments, a CBUAE subsidiary. Aani, the instant payments platform, launched in October 2023 with 10 participating institutions. It allows real-time money transfers using just a phone number, email address, or QR code, and removes the need for an IBAN on those transactions.

Jaywan is the UAE's first domestic card scheme. It began issuing cards in July 2026, with First Abu Dhabi Bank and Commercial Bank of Dubai among the first issuers. The scheme offers an alternative to international card networks for point-of-sale, ATM, and online transactions.

Adoption is starting at the federal level. Earlier this month, the UAE Ministry of Finance became the first federal entity to use both Aani and Jaywan for collecting service fees and fines. That gives the two platforms a concrete government use case, not just a consumer-facing one.

CBUAE Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama said the report affirms the strength of the UAE financial system. He said the system can keep supporting the economy efficiently. He also said the central bank will continue strengthening its supervisory and prudential frameworks to prepare for future risks.

The banking and infrastructure stories are, in this report, connected. Rapid credit growth and high capital levels show the banks have room to lend, while Aani and Jaywan give the payments system a domestic backbone that reduces reliance on international card networks. As federal agencies move fee and fine collections onto those rails, transaction volumes should follow.