CBD nine-month pre-tax profit rises 4.1% to Dh2.95b

Dubai: Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) posted a record pre-tax profit of Dh2.95 billion for the first nine months of 2026. This is up 4.1 per cent from a year earlier, the bank announced on October 21.

Most gains were seen in Q3 with pre-tax profit for the three months reaching Dh1.06 billion, up 9.2 per cent (QoQ). Net profit after tax rose 9.4 per cent to Dh969 million. Net interest income climbed 9.7 per cent (QoQ).

Operating income came in at Dh4.44 billion, up 0.9 per cent. Non-funded income grew 2.6 per cent on stronger fees. Net interest income edged up 0.2 per cent as loans and low-cost current and savings account (CASA) deposits expanded.

Operating expenses rose 1.4 per cent to Dh1.18 billion . The bank links the increase to digitisation, technology, governance and compliance spending. Its cost-to-income ratio stands at 26.53 per cent.

Net impairment losses fell 22.6 per cent to Dh314 million . Corporate tax expense rose 4.2 per cent to Dh264 million . Return on equity after tax was 21.38 per cent.

Total assets reached Dh167.9 billion at September 30, up 4.7 per cent from December 31. Net loans and advances grew 8.5 per cent to Dh109.6 billion.

Customer deposits rose 0.7 per cent to Dh112.2 billion. CASA deposits make up 50 per cent of the base. The loan-to-deposit ratio is 97.75 per cent.

The capital adequacy ratio is 15.53 per cent, the Tier 1 ratio 14.39 per cent and the Common Equity Tier 1 ratio 12.71 per cent. All sit above Central Bank of the UAE minimums.

The non-performing loan ratio fell to 2.98 per cent, down 52 basis points from September 30, 2025. The coverage ratio improved 806 basis points to 106.99 per cent. Including collateral, coverage on Stage 3 loans is 153.14 per cent.

In July, CBD issued a $600 million or Dh2.2 billion Additional Tier 1 perpetual bond with a six-year non-call period.

CBD launched UP by CBD in July, a mobile banking offering for micro and small businesses. It also rolled out CBD Invest, a digital wealth platform inside its mobile app.

In September, CBD became the first bank from outside Europe to join the Commercial Bank Money Token sandbox. The programme tests tokenised deposits for cross-border payments.

Commenting on the Bank’s performance, Dr. Bernd van Linder, Chief Executive Officer, CBD, said "We remain focused on executing our strategic priorities while investing in AI, innovation and digitisation to deliver sustainable long-term value for our shareholders, customers and wider stakeholders."

CBD is rated A- with a ‘Stable’ outlook by Fitch Ratings in January 2026 and Baa1 with a ‘Stable’ outlook by Moody’s in July 2026.