First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has made history with a record dividend, after shareholders approved an AED 8.84 billion ($2.41 billion) cash payout, equivalent to 80 fils per share, the largest distribution in the bank’s history. It caps a year where FAB doubled its net profit since 2020 and cemented its position as the largest bank in the Middle East and Africa.
FAB’s Record Profit Surge in 2025
FAB’s net profit has doubled since 2020. The bank now holds the title of largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa by total assets, a staggering AED 1.40 trillion.
Source: Zawya, Economy Middle East, Khaleej Times
Who Qualifies And When?
Investors eyeing the payout should note these key dates:
GCC Dividend Season Meets a Surging Sukuk Market
FAB isn’t the only company paying a large dividend. TECOM Group approved a $119.81 million dividend for H2 2025, and other UAE names are expected to follow through April. But the bigger income story this quarter sits in fixed income. FAB is one of the GCC’s most active sukuk issuers, and its AA credit rating and 19.2% RoTE directly anchor the quality of the sukuk market that surrounds it.
The numbers are hard to ignore:
Source: Fitch Ratings via Arab News, S&P Global via Economy Middle East, Fitch Ratings
No defaults in four years. $1.1 trillion outstanding. Eighty-two percent is investment grade. This is a market that has quietly matured into one of the more resilient corners of global fixed income.
Three Sukuk ETFs Worth Knowing
Sukuk ETFs provide investors with Shariah-compliant fixed-income exposure in a single, liquid instrument. ADX investors now have a home-market option: the Chimera JP Morgan Global Sukuk ETF (SUKUK), listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, managed by Lunate Capital, and regulated by the SCA. It tracks the J.P. Morgan Global IG Sukuk Index, holds 23 investment-grade instruments, including DP World and Indonesian Government Sukuk, and pays a quarterly distribution in AED.
Source: Chimera Lunate SUKUK , SP-funds, BlackRock iShares SKUK
†As of March 11 2026. ‡As of February 28, 2026. *As of March 12, 2026
All three carry average credit ratings of ‘A’ or above and provide quarterly or periodic income distributions. Chimera SUKUK’s average duration of 4.87 years keeps interest rate sensitivity moderate, a meaningful consideration as markets price in potential Fed cuts in H2 2026.
For investors exploring ETF-based strategies in the region, the rise of sukuk ETFs reflects the broader expansion of ETF investing across GCC markets, as outlined in Invest ETFs: Complete Guide for ETF Investing in the GCC 2026
The Bottomline
FAB’s record payout and the GCC sukuk market’s structural strength tell the same story: Gulf financial markets are delivering. This DIV season, investors can access that story two ways: through the equity dividend (FAB shares, record 80 fils/share) or through sukuk ETF income (Chimera SUKUK on ADX, SPSK on NYSE, iShares SKUK on Euronext). For income-focused portfolios, the two sit side by side naturally.
