The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has added two more Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026 honours to its previously announced Best Retail Bank in Bahrain recognition, receiving the Best Bank for ESG in Bahrain and Best Bank for Large Corporates in Bahrain.
The awards were officially presented during the Euromoney Awards for Excellence ceremony held in Dubai.
According to NBB, the three distinctions reflect the impact of the bank’s performance across customer banking, sustainability and corporate services, recognising progress in areas that serve individuals, businesses and many of the kingdom’s various institutions.
The latest honours build on NBB’s earlier recognition as the Best Retail Bank in Bahrain, where the Euromoney pointed to the bank’s focus on digital delivery, product relevance and financial inclusion.
The assessment highlighted progress across onboarding, lending, housing finance, savings, retail investments and youth banking, alongside stronger authentication and fraud-prevention measures.
Retail banking chief executive officer Subah Al Zayani said: “Strong retail banking is built through thousands of individual interactions, and each one shapes how customers experience the bank. Our priority has been to remove unnecessary effort from those moments while preserving choice, security and human-led support. Recognition of that work is important, but the greater value lies in building relationships that remain relevant as customers’ needs change over time.”
NBB’s Best Bank for Large Corporates in Bahrain award reflects the continued development of its corporate banking franchise beyond traditional lending. The Euromoney cited growth in the bank’s corporate client base and ancillary revenues, alongside expanded transaction banking, treasury, advisory and risk-management capabilities.
NBB acted as the only local bank on the Bapco Energies sukuk, deployed approximately $3 billion through its corporate banking business, executed sophisticated interest-rate hedging mandates for major government-related entities, and played a leading role in Bahrain’s only asset monetisation transaction of the year.
The bank also enhanced its corporate digital platform with 24/7 US dollar processing and wider liquidity management capabilities.
Group chief executive officer for corporate and commercial banking Ali Abdulkarim said: “Our clients increasingly expect their banking relationships to extend well beyond access to financing. They require institutions that can understand complex balance sheets, anticipate liquidity and risk requirements and execute with confidence across multiple disciplines.
Mr Abdulkarim
“Our focus has been on earning a broader role in those relationships by combining financial strength with specialist advice and solutions that support clients through increasingly sophisticated decisions.”
In ESG, the Euromoney highlighted NBB’s progress in embedding environmental, social and governance considerations into core banking activity. During the review period, the bank operationalised its Sustainable Finance Framework through the classification of assets and liabilities, strengthened the integration of ESG factors into credit risk assessment and recorded measurable reductions in energy and fuel consumption. Its sustainable finance activity also extended across retail, SME and treasury solutions.
Group chief strategy and sustainability officer Zaina Alzayani said: “The significance of this award lies in the fact that sustainability is increasingly influencing how decisions are made across the organisation, from capital allocation and risk assessment to the way we manage our own footprint. The next stage is about maintaining that discipline and ensuring ESG considerations remain commercially relevant, measurable and closely connected to Bahrain’s long-term developmental priorities.”
Ms Alzayani
Collectively, the three Euromoney awards reflect NBB’s strength in delivering excellence across diverse areas of its business while maintaining a clear focus on execution, innovation and long-term value creation. While the awards recognise achievements in retail banking, corporate banking and sustainability, they also reflect the bank’s broader commitment to excellence across its entire franchise, supporting customers, businesses and the kingdom’s economic development.
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