Doha, 7 October 2025 \u2013 Qatar National Bank (QNB) Group, the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, has announced that it has received approval from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to establish a new digital bank called ezbank, in a move aimed at supporting Egypt\u2019s digital transformation and financial inclusion efforts.<\/p>\n
The New Digital Bank in Egypt<\/p>\n
easyBank aims to provide seamless financial services to a broad customer base by relying on advanced technology, with a focus on mobile platforms, artificial intelligence-based tools, and intelligent risk management. In doing so, the bank seeks to facilitate transactions, increase access to banking services, and support Egypt\u2019s digital economy.<\/p>\n
This approval comes at a time when the rate of financial inclusion in Egypt suffers from a large gap, with the percentage of adults with bank accounts only about 30%, while the number of mobile phone subscriptions exceeds 96 million, covering 92.7% of the population. QNB Group sees this gap as a great opportunity to expand banking services, taking advantage of its long presence in Egypt since 1978 and its network of branches and ATMs in the country.<\/p>\n
A complementary step to the digital expansion strategy<\/p>\n
It is worth mentioning that this approval comes just days after the Group announced, on October 1, 2025, that it had obtained a license from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) to establish a digital bank of the same name in the Kingdom, in partnership with Ajlan and Brothers Holding Group, with a capital of 2.5 billion Saudi riyals. This simultaneous expansion in key markets demonstrates QNB\u2019s commitment to developing a customer-focused banking model that relies on innovation, efficiency and accessibility.<\/p>\n
Strong financial performance and continued growth<\/p>\n
QNB Group announced its financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, which showed its continued strong growth. Net profit was QAR 12.8 billion (about US$ 3.5 billion), an increase of 1% compared to the same period last year.<\/p>\n
The results also showed a growth in operating income of 9% to reach QAR 33.3 billion. Total assets increased by 9% to QR 1.389 trillion, mainly driven by an increase in loans and advances by 11% to exceed the QAR 1 trillion barrier.<\/p>\n
The Group maintained a high operating efficiency, with a cost-to-income ratio of 23.3%, one of the best among the region\u2019s major financial institutions. In reference to the quality of the loan portfolio, the percentage of non-performing loans was 2.9%, with 100% full coverage.<\/p>\n
Sources:<\/p>\n
Ecofin Agency \u2013 \u201cEgypt Clears Qatar\u2019s QNB to Launch Digital Bank\u2019
\nQatar News Agency (QNA) \u2013 \u201cQNB Group Receives Central Bank of Egypt License Approval for a New Digital Bank\u201d
\nThe Peninsula \u2013 \u201cQNB Group Receives Central Bank of Egypt license approval for new digital bank \u2018ezbank\u2019
\nQNB Group Official Website (Arab Statement) \u2013 \u201cQNB Group is approved by the Central Bank of Egypt for the license of the new digital bank \u2018ezbank\u2019\u201d
\nQNB Group Official Website (Financial Statement) \u2013 \u201cFinancial Results For The Nine Months Ended 30 September 2025\u201d
\nThe Peninsula \u2013 “QNB net posts profit of QR12.8bn for nine-month period”
\nQatar News Agency (QNA) \u2013 \u201cQNB Group\u2019s Net Profit Increases 1%\u201d
\nBusiness Wire \u2013 \u201cQNB Group\u83b7\u5f97\u6c99\u7279\u592e\u884c(SAMA)\u724c\u7167\u6279\u51c6,\u5c06\u6210\u7acb\u65b0\u7684\u6570\u5b57\u94f6\u884c\u201d
\nQNB Group Official Website \u2013 \u201cQNB Group Receives Saudi Central Bank\u201d SAMA\u201d license approval for a new digital bank \u201cezbank\u201d
\nMENA Fintech Association \u2013 \u201cQNB Secures Saudi Central Bank License for Digital-First Bank ezbank\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Doha, 7 October 2025 \u2013 Qatar National Bank (QNB) Group, the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, has announced that it has received approval from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to establish a new digital bank called ezbank, in a move aimed at supporting Egypt\u2019s digital transformation and financial inclusion efforts. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":27986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1006],"tags":[],"membersfde":[],"class_list":["post-27988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-digital-economy-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n