UAE Central Bank Fines Foreign Bank Branch AED 200 Million Over Compliance Failures

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) announced on October 30, 2026, that it has imposed a financial penalty of AED 200,000,000 on a branch of a foreign bank licensed in the UAE, pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Decree Law Regarding the Central Bank and Organisation of Financial Institutions and Activities.

According to the regulator, supervisory examinations revealed significant and repeated failures in the foreign bank branch's Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Illegal Organisations framework, governance and compliance management, and sanctions controls.

The CBUAE also imposed personal financial penalties on two senior executives for failing to fulfill their official duties. The bank's Chief Executive Officer was fined AED 500,000, while the Head of Compliance and Money Laundering Reporting Officer was fined AED 300,000 under the decree law and its amendments.

In addition to the monetary penalties, the regulator directed the foreign bank to execute a Mandatory Remediation Programme subject to independent validation. The authority further required a Fit and Proper re-assessment of both the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Compliance Officer.

The central bank stated that its supervisory and regulatory measures aim to ensure all banks, authorized decision-makers, and employees adhere to UAE laws and standards to safeguard the transparency and integrity of the country's banking sector and financial system.