The Central Bank of the UAE’s Board approved a comprehensive Financial Institution Resilience Package to reinforce the stability and resilience of the UAE banking sector amid exceptional global and regional market circumstances, after noting no material impact on banks’ health or payment systems. The package is structured around five pillars: enhanced access to monetary liquidity including access to reserve balances up to 30% of the cash reserve requirement and term liquidity facilities in both AED and USD; temporary relief in liquidity and stable funding ratios; temporary release of the Countercyclical Capital Buffer and Capital Conservation Buffer; flexibility for banks to postpone classification of individual and corporate loans for customers affected by the extraordinary circumstances; and an expectation that banks continue providing required financing services. The release also highlighted foreign exchange reserves of more than AED 1 trillion (USD 270 billion), a monetary base cover ratio of 119%, a banking sector size of AED 5.4 trillion, and system liquidity at the CBUAE and net eligible assets for conventional operations of close to AED 920 billion (USD 250 billion), including reserve balances exceeding AED 400 billion (USD 109 billion). The measures are described as temporary, and the Board reiterated its readiness to deploy additional policy tools if needed to safeguard financial stability.
Central Bank of the UAE 2026-03-17
Central Bank of the UAE approves five‑pillar Financial Institution Resilience Package backed by AED 1 trillion in assets
The Central Bank of the UAE approved a Financial Institution Resilience Package to bolster banking sector stability amid challenging market conditions. The package includes enhanced liquidity access, temporary relief in liquidity ratios, and flexibility in loan classifications. The Board emphasized the temporary nature of these measures and its readiness to implement further policies if necessary.