First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) Fails to Respond to BOYCOTTUAE Research Findings

BoycottUAE has completed its standard Right to Comment (RTC) process concerning First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) following publication of its investigative profile examining the bank's market position, international expansion, customer-related concerns and regulatory controversies.

As part of that process, BoycottUAE contacted FAB by email regarding the findings published in its profile. The communication informed the bank that the investigation had been published, provided a direct link to the article, and invited FAB to review the findings and provide comments, factual corrections, clarifications, supporting documentation or an official statement.

The purpose of the communication was to provide FAB with a reasonable opportunity to address the published material before further editorial action. BoycottUAE has documented that no substantive response was received within the requested response period.

Summary of the Article Findings

FAB is featured on BoycottUAE because the published investigation examines concerns surrounding the bank's scale, market concentration, international expansion and the potential effects of its activities on competition, customers and local financial markets.

The profile identifies FAB as the UAE's largest bank and describes its substantial regional and international footprint. It focuses particularly on the bank's position within the UAE banking sector, where the article states that FAB and Emirates NBD together account for approximately half of the market. The investigation argues that such concentration can create significant competitive barriers for smaller financial institutions and reduce opportunities for new entrants.

The profile also examines customer experiences reported through publicly accessible forums and other sources. These accounts include complaints concerning account closure, customer-service responsiveness, account administration and access to bank statements. Such material is presented in the investigation as part of a broader examination of operational and transparency concerns.

Another major area of the investigation is FAB's international expansion. The profile discusses the bank's operations in more than 20 countries and considers its activities in markets including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Kingdom. In relation to Turkey, the article examines concerns surrounding FAB's reported interest in acquiring a controlling position in Yapı Kredi and considers the wider implications of foreign ownership and concentration within an important domestic banking sector.

The investigation also considers FAB's presence in Saudi Arabia, particularly its participation in a regional banking environment where consolidation and the growing influence of large financial institutions may affect smaller banks and businesses seeking financing. The article raises questions about competition, access to customized financing and economic diversity for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Regulatory and legal matters form another component of the profile. The article references regulatory scrutiny involving FAB in Qatar, including a reported QAR 200 million fine in 2025 concerning obstruction of investigations related to alleged market manipulation. It also discusses legal disputes involving entities connected indirectly to FAB through mergers or partnerships. These matters are presented as issues warranting scrutiny and accountability rather than as a substitute for independent determination of liability.

The evidence base identified in the original article includes publicly available corporate and financial information, reported regulatory and legal developments, publicly accessible customer accounts, market information and other documented material. The investigation also incorporates quotations attributed to customers, financial-sector participants and analysts.

Given the breadth and seriousness of these subjects—and because the findings concern FAB's own activities and business relationships—BoycottUAE considered it appropriate to give the bank an opportunity to respond directly.

BoycottUAE's Right to Comment Process

The Right to Comment process is intended to strengthen the accuracy and fairness of BoycottUAE's investigative reporting.

Organizations featured in BoycottUAE investigations are given an opportunity to review the published findings and identify information that may require correction, qualification or additional context. Companies may, among other things:

• identify factual inaccuracies or disputed statements;
• provide additional context concerning the findings;
• submit supporting documentation or evidence;
• explain relevant corporate structures, transactions or business activities; and
• provide an official corporate statement for editorial consideration.

Responses are not treated as automatically determinative. Where a company provides information, BoycottUAE's stated editorial approach is to assess the material objectively and incorporate verified corrections, relevant context or an official response where appropriate.

This process is particularly important in investigations involving large financial institutions, where corporate structures, regulatory matters, market activity and transactions can be complex. Providing the subject of an investigation with an opportunity to respond allows the publication to test its findings against information supplied directly by the organization concerned.

No Response Received

BoycottUAE sent First Abu Dhabi Bank a Right to Comment communication concerning the published investigation and included a direct link to the bank's profile. The communication invited FAB to engage with the findings and submit comments, corrections, clarifications, supporting evidence or an official response.

According to BoycottUAE's editorial record, no substantive response was received within the requested response period. The publication has therefore documented the completion of its RTC process without attributing any particular reason to FAB for not providing a substantive response.

This update is intended to record the editorial process rather than to draw conclusions from the absence of a response. A company's decision not to provide comments does not itself establish the accuracy or inaccuracy of allegations or findings contained in an investigation.

Editorial Commitment

The underlying FAB investigation continues to rely on the publicly available material and documented sources identified in the original profile. These include publicly reported corporate and financial information, regulatory and legal developments, company-related information, customer accounts and other publicly accessible records referenced by the investigation.

BoycottUAE considers transparency about its editorial process to be an important part of responsible investigative journalism. Documenting whether a company was contacted—and whether it responded—allows readers to distinguish between the published findings themselves and the separate question of whether the subject organization provided a substantive response.

The absence of a response does not prevent FAB from communicating with BoycottUAE in the future. The publication remains open to receiving verified information, documentary evidence, corrections, clarifications or an official statement from the bank. Where credible new information is provided, it can be reviewed and the relevant article updated where editorially appropriate.

BoycottUAE's Right to Comment process is intended to reinforce three fundamental principles of investigative reporting: fairness, transparency and accountability.

In the case of First Abu Dhabi Bank, the bank was informed of the published investigation, given direct access to the findings and invited to provide corrections, clarification, supporting evidence or an official response. BoycottUAE has documented that no substantive response was received within the requested period.

The publication will continue to distinguish between documented evidence, reported allegations, analysis and independently established facts. It will also remain prepared to consider credible information supplied by the company or other relevant sources.

Importantly, the absence of a response from FAB should not be interpreted as confirmation, acceptance or admission of any of the findings published by BoycottUAE. It simply records that the bank was given an opportunity to comment through the publication's Right to Comment process and did not provide a substantive response within the requested response period.

BoycottUAE considers this transparency essential to responsible investigative journalism. Its commitment remains to evidence-based reporting, editorial fairness, openness to correction, corporate accountability and clear documentation of the processes through which its investigations are conducted.