BE - September 2026

the BANKING EXECUTIVE 38 ISSUE 213 SEPTEMBER 2026 First Abu Dhabi Bank First Abu Dhabi Bank REPORT HIGHLIGHTS FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES An outcome paper setting out how stronger financial structures can help scale sustainable ocean solutions and support global growth and re- silience has been published. First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE’s global bank, has published The Ocean Economy: Becoming the World’s Fifth-Largest Economy re- flecting the outcomes of a roundtable convened by FAB in collaboration with the World Economic Forum during London Climate Action Week. It examines the financial architecture needed to protect and restore the ocean and mobilise capital at scale. The initiative builds on FAB’s broader sustainable finance agenda and its focus on convening partners, supporting clients and advancing blue-finance market development. DOUBLED IN REAL TERMS The ocean economy has doubled in real terms over the past 25 years, ris- ing from $1.3 trillion in gross value added in 1995 to $2.6 trillion in 2020. If considered a country, it would rank as the world’s fifth-largest economy. However, approximately $175 billion is needed annually to protect life below water under Sus- tainable Development Goal 14, un- derscoring the need for stronger project pipelines, clearer standards, better data and financing structures that can turn ocean priorities into in- vestable transactions. Key priorities highlighted in the paper include: • Building investable opportunities: Strengthening project pipelines and developing repeatable financ- ing models to help turn ocean pri- orities into bankable transactions. • Supporting clients: Strengthening the role of financial institutions in helping clients identify ocean-re- lated risks and opportunities and translate sustainability ambitions into measurable projects and fi- nancing needs. • Mobilising capital at scale: Improv- ing alignment between policymak- ers, businesses and financial institutions to develop scalable fi- nancing programmes and attract greater private capital. • Advancing blue finance in the Middle East: Connecting the re- gion’s strengths in global trade, en- ergy transition, water security and coastal development with global capital, technical expertise and credible financing structures. FAB’s focus on the sustainable ocean economy forms part of its broader sustainable and nature-related fi- nance agenda. FAB has issued the first blue bond by a GCC financial in- stitution, supporting water and wastewater infrastructure, and was the first institution in the Mena re- gion to publish a disclosure aligned with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). FAB also served as Principal and Official Banking Partner of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, ad- vancing dialogue on nature finance, biodiversity, water and the climate- nature nexus. The paper sets out recommendations to help scale blue finance and de- velop bankable pipelines and scala- ble financing solutions.