The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) published updated Emiratisation results for the banking, financial, and insurance sectors, reporting 23,364 UAE nationals employed as of 31 December 2025 and a sector-wide Emiratisation rate of 31%. Hiring during 2025 totalled 2,901 UAE nationals, around 160% of the annual target of 1,816, while the compliance rate of licensed financial institutions with Emiratisation targets reached 97%. Across 2022–2027, the total number of jobs targeted for UAE nationals was around 10,300, with employment reaching 10,780 by end-December 2025. Sector metrics showed the banking sector accounting for 67% of Emiratisation across the covered sectors and increasing from 32% to 41% between 2022 and 2025, with a 45% target by end-2026; insurance companies rose from 15% to 27% over 2022–2025 with a 30% end-2026 target. Exchange houses, finance companies, and insurance-related professions increased to 24%, 27%, and 10% respectively, with end-2027 targets of 30%, 30%, and 10%; within banking, Emiratisation in critical roles rose from 31% to 41%, leadership roles from 17% to 28%, and voting committees from 15% to 31%, with 2026 targets of 45%, 30%, and 30%. Implementation efforts included the “Al Ain Initiative”, under which five banks committed to employ 1,700 UAE nationals in 2025–2026 and had hired 1,016 by end-December 2025, and a programme with the Emirates Council for Balanced Development and the Government of Fujairah targeting 500 jobs in selected areas for 2025–2027, with 120 hires by end-December 2025. Training and qualification programmes supported with the Emirates Institute of Finance trained 17,338 UAE nationals in 2025 (46% of 38,064 trainees), while “Ethraa” programmes produced around 5,500 UAE-national graduates over 2022–2025 and 2025 career fairs resulted in 2,396 hires.
Central Bank of the UAE 2026-04-22
Central Bank of the UAE reports 31% Emiratisation rate and 97% compliance with sector targets
The Central Bank of the UAE reported that Emiratisation in the banking, financial, and insurance sectors reached 23,364 UAE nationals and a 31% Emiratisation rate as of 31 December 2025, with hiring at around 160% of the annual target and a 97% institutional compliance rate. Emiratisation continued to rise across banking, insurance, exchange houses, finance companies, and insurance-related professions, with notable gains in critical, leadership, and voting committee roles in banking. The update also highlights progress under the “Al Ain Initiative” and other regional employment programmes, alongside extensive training and qualification efforts with the Emirates Institute of Finance and through “Ethraa” programmes and career fairs.