UAE savers rise 37% as National Bonds funds cross Dh18 billion

Higher participation and returns signal stronger saving habits in UAE

Last updated:
Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor
UAE savers rise 37% as National Bonds funds cross Dh18 billion
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Dubai: Regular savers in the UAE rose by 37% in 2025 compared to the previous year, signalling a shift towards long-term financial planning among residents.

The Sharia-compliant savings and investment company said bondholders’ funds crossed Dh18 billion, up 14% year on year, with returns of up to 4.45% distributed to customers.

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Growth across segments

Demand extended beyond individuals. Corporate liquidity and treasury solutions rose 28%, showing continued interest from businesses in stable cash management options.

Participation spans retail savers, high-net-worth individuals and corporates, indicating broader adoption of savings and investment products.

Khalifa Al Daboos, Chairman of National Bonds, said, “The UAE continues to set a global example of resilience, adaptability, and forward-looking vision.”

Customer base expands

More than one million customers have used National Bonds’ savings and investment products over time, with growth supported by repeat participation and new account openings.

Mohammed Qasim Al Ali, Group CEO, said, “Surpassing Dh18 billion in bondholders' funds is a clear reflection of consistent and sustained growth driven by strong customer confidence.”

Digital savings activity rose 72%, reflecting increased use of online platforms to manage savings. Sales to female customers increased 11.33%, with their portfolio rising by nearly Dh290 million in 2025.

Market role

The company’s sukuk platform has facilitated over Dh237 billion in transactions since inception, supporting liquidity in the Islamic finance market.

Since launch, National Bonds has distributed more than Dh4 billion in returns and rewards and created 232 millionaires through its programmes.

Nivetha Dayanand
Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor
Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.

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