ADCB Islamic Banking is the Islamic window of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC, the same group that owns the fully Islamic Al Hilal Bank. Its strength is that it prints numbers: the Islamic Active Saver pays up to 2.25% a year on dirhams, the Islamic Super Saver pays a 2.25% base plus a 3.25% bonus on new money, personal finance for expatriates starts from 5.99% with a 1.05% processing fee, and home finance starts from 3.99%. The current account needs a declared salary of AED 5,000. This review of ADCB Islamic walks through every published figure and ends with a verdict for the reader who already banks with ADCB.
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What ADCB Islamic Banking is, and how it relates to Al Hilal
ADCB Islamic Banking is not a separate bank. It is a window inside ADCB that runs Shariah-compliant versions of the group's retail products, approved by its own Internal Shari'ah Supervision Committee (ISSC) and sold through ADCB's branch network, mobile app and the 600 56 2626 contact centre. The same group also owns Al Hilal Bank, a fully licensed Islamic bank that has gone digital-only; the two are run as separate brands with separate Shariah committees, and ADCB's ISSC page notes that one of its members, Dr Ibrahim Al Mansoori, also sits on Al Hilal's committee.
For a customer the distinction matters in one way. A window shares its balance sheet and treasury with the conventional parent, with the Shariah separation handled through segregated pools and the ISSC's oversight, while a full Islamic bank has nothing conventional on the books. Our explainer on Islamic banks versus Islamic windows covers why most UAE scholars accept both, and the bank accounts hub sets ADCB Islamic beside every other option in the country. Our ranking of the best Islamic windows in the UAE explains where ADCB sits against FAB Islamic and Mashreq Al Islami.
The Islamic Current Account: AED 5,000 salary and a fee in the small print
The product page lists three headline figures: a minimum monthly salary of AED 5,000 for residents employed in the UAE, AED 0 for e-statements within the statement cycle, and AED 0 for cheques on AED accounts. The account is available in dirhams only. The first cheque book is free and e-statements are free; additional cheque books, returned cheques, out-of-cycle statements and debit card use at non-ADCB ATMs are charged according to the Schedule of Fees and the customer's relationship type.
The line that deserves attention is in the Keep in Mind box: a monthly fee applies if the respective relationship balance criteria is not met. The page does not state the balance threshold or the fee amount; both sit in the Schedule of Fees, which ADCB publishes as a document rather than on the product page. Before opening, ask the branch for the segment-wise relationship balance figure in writing, because it is the number that decides whether this account is free. Several full Islamic banks print the threshold on the page; ADCB does not.
Islamic Active Saver: the published tiers, and what the page leaves out
The Islamic Active Saver Account is a Mudaraba savings account available in AED, USD, GBP and EUR. The page states a highest expected profit of up to 2.25% a year on the AED account and up to 2.00% on the USD account, distributed monthly. Expected profit is calculated daily on the daily closing balance and paid monthly according to the balance tier and the corresponding rate, which is the mechanism that makes it tiered. The calculator on the page notes that its figures are based on expected profit rates effective 1 June 2023, so ask whether the live tier table has moved since.
The page states the profit distribution ratio between the bank as Mudarib and account holders as Rab Al Maal as 85% to the Mudarib and 15% to Rab Al Maal, and refers readers to adcbislamic.com/weightages for the pool weightings. That is a plainly disclosed split, and an unusually high bank share; what the customer receives is the expected rate on the tier, not 15% of anything, so the split matters for understanding the structure rather than for the arithmetic of your return. The full tier breakpoints are in the Expected Profit Rates tab and the Schedule of Fees; the page itself prints only the ceiling. Our map of the best Islamic savings rates in the UAE sets 2.25% against every other published number.
| Account | Published expected profit | Conditions on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Islamic Active Saver (AED) | Up to 2.25% a year, monthly | Daily calculation on closing balance, paid by tier; AED, USD, GBP, EUR |
| Islamic Active Saver (USD) | Up to 2.00% a year, monthly | Same mechanics in dollars |
| Islamic Super Saver (AED) | 2.25% base plus 3.25% bonus, up to 5.5% | AED 50,000 to AED 20 million; bonus on new-to-bank funds only; no joint accounts |
| Islamic Goal Savings | 2% standard plus 2.5% bonus, up to 4.5% | Scheduled contributions; bonus paid only on goal achievement date |
| Islamic Cashback Account | 0% to 2.00% by balance tier | 5% debit card cashback with AED 1,500 minimum monthly spend |
| Wakala Deposit (AED) | Up to 4.00% a year | Minimum AED 5,000; up to 4.50% on foreign currency |
Super Saver, Goal Savings and the Cashback Account: how the bonuses really work
The Islamic Super Saver Account is where the 5.5% headline comes from, and the page is unusually explicit about how it is built. The base expected rate on a monthly average balance of AED 50,000 to AED 20 million is 2.25% a year, effective 1 May 2026. Below AED 50,000 the base is 0.01%, and above AED 20 million it is 1.00%. The bonus of 3.25%, effective 1 September 2026, is paid only on new-to-bank funds over and above the balance in the benchmark month, which the page states is March 2026. Internal transfers from existing ADCB or ADCB Islamic accounts do not qualify, and the new money must increase your total relationship balance across all current, savings and deposit accounts. The account is opened in the app, cannot be joint, and requires an existing current or savings account.
The Islamic Goal Savings Account pays 2% a year standard expected profit on the monthly average balance, credited on the first day of the following month, plus a 2.5% bonus on end-of-day balances paid on the goal achievement date. The bonus has conditions: you must reach the goal amount, miss no more than one scheduled contribution and refund it before the date, keep withdrawals within one monthly contribution and refund them, not close the account early, and keep total goal balances under AED 10 million. The Islamic Cashback Account pairs 5% cashback on debit card spending, with a minimum monthly spend of AED 1,500, with expected profit of 1.00% on AED 50,000 to under AED 200,000, 1.50% to under AED 500,000 and 2.00% from AED 500,000; balances under AED 50,000 earn nothing.
- Super Saver bonus is paid only in your oldest Super Saver account if you hold several, and only on money that is genuinely new to the bank.
- Goal Savings bonus is forfeited if you miss more than one contribution or let the goal amount fall during the period.
- Cashback Account profit is zero below AED 50,000, so the 5% cashback is the only return for smaller balances.
- Wakala deposits pay no profit if broken before the minimum tenor, and 1% a year below the applicable rate if broken after it.
- Every one of these accounts attracts a monthly fee if the segment-wise relationship balance in the Schedule of Fees is not met.
Personal finance: published from 5.99% with a worked example
ADCB Islamic personal finance for expatriates is priced from 5.99% a year, with the page stating that rates vary by customer segment, profile and tenor. Tenors run from 6 to 48 months and the processing fee is 1.05% of the finance amount. The page gives its own worked example: AED 100,000 at 7.25% over 48 months produces a monthly instalment of AED 2,407, a processing fee of AED 1,050, and a total payment including the fee of AED 115,500. That example is more useful than the headline, because 7.25% rather than 5.99% is the rate the bank chose to illustrate.
The finance is granted against assignment of salary and end-of-service gratuity in favour of ADCB Islamic Banking, and instant personal finance is available through the mobile app. ADCB also publishes a service guarantee: a decision within seven working days of a complete document set. Up to 150 TouchPoints are earned per AED 1,000 financed. The personal financing hub places 5.99% against the banks that publish a figure.
Auto and home finance: ceilings published, rates by segment
Auto finance runs to AED 1.5 million, up to 60 months, and up to 80% of the vehicle value. The page does not print a headline rate in its text; the calculator's slider starts at 1.99% flat, and the Keep in Mind box states that the rate shown applies to Excellency and Emirati Excellency customer segments and will vary by segment and profile. Treat it as quote-only for a standard salaried customer and ask for the flat and reducing rate for your segment. The car financing hub lists the banks that print a rate for everyone.
Home finance is better disclosed: up to 85% of property value for UAE nationals, 80% for expatriates and 50% for non-residents, with profit rates from 3.99% a year, again for Excellency and Emirati segments. A processing fee applies, property takaful and life takaful are mandatory for the life of the facility, an external valuation may add a charge, and the hybrid structure fixes the rate for initial years before moving to EIBOR plus a margin. The calculator allows tenors up to 25 years. ADCB Dream Home, the group's digital platform, offers instant pre-approval and an online valuation. Compare the 3.99% start against FAB Islamic, ADIB and the rest before committing, because the segment condition means most applicants will be quoted above it.
The Islamic 365 Cashback Card
The Islamic 365 Cashback Card charges no annual fee in the first year and AED 383.25 including VAT from the second year on the primary card. Cashback is 6% on dining including online orders, 5% on home digital subscriptions, 5% on AI subscriptions, 5% on fuel and Salik, 3% on groceries and supermarkets, 1% on other retail and 0.5% on select categories. Two gates apply: a minimum retail spend of AED 5,000 per calendar month across primary and supplementary cards to earn anything, and a cap of AED 1,000 cashback per month. A welcome bonus of AED 365 requires AED 5,000 of spend within 45 days. Eligibility is a salary of AED 5,000 or a card limit of at least AED 3,000.
Shariah governance: five named scholars and a published secretary
ADCB Islamic's ISSC page names its committee in full. Professor Dr Jassim Al Shamsi chairs it, described as the first Emirati scholar to lead the committee and a member of the Higher Shari'ah Authority of the Central Bank of the UAE. The members are Dr Ibrahim Al Mansoori, who also serves on the committees of Dubai Islamic Bank, Al Hilal Bank, Sharjah Islamic Bank and Standard Chartered; Dr Salim Al Ali; Dr Osama Mohammed Saad Bahar of Bahrain; and Professor Dr Engku Rabiah Adawiah, a member of Bank Negara Malaysia's Shariah Advisory Council. Kamran Khalid Sherwani is named as head of internal Shari'ah control and committee secretary. Each product page carries an Approved by the Internal Shari'ah Supervision Committee line, and a Shari'ah certificates page links the fatwas. Like every UAE window, the committee reports into the Central Bank's Higher Shari'ah Authority.
Verdict: use the window, or move to Al Hilal, ADIB or DIB?
If you already hold an ADCB salary account, the window is worth using for two products: the Super Saver, where 5.5% on new money between AED 50,000 and AED 20 million is the highest published combined rate on a dirham savings account we have seen from a window, and personal finance, where a 5.99% start and a printed worked example beat the quote-only pages at several full Islamic banks. Open the Super Saver with money from outside the group, because internal transfers earn only the 2.25% base.
If you want a fully Islamic licence with the same group's backing, Al Hilal Bank is the obvious move, at the cost of branches. If you want a branch-heavy full Islamic bank, ADIB and DIB both publish actual distributed savings rates well below ADCB's expected tiers, so a saver who values a printed ceiling should stay. The weak spot is the current account, whose fee threshold is not on the page; get it in writing. Facts checked against adcb.com on 11 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum balance for the ADCB Islamic Active Saver account?
The product page does not state a minimum opening balance. It states that profit is calculated daily and paid monthly by balance tier, with a highest expected rate of 2.25% on AED, and that a monthly fee applies if the segment-wise relationship balance criteria in the Schedule of Fees is not met. Ask the branch for the relationship balance figure for your segment before opening.
Is ADCB Islamic Banking a separate bank from ADCB?
No. ADCB Islamic Banking is an Islamic window within Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, with its own Internal Shari'ah Supervision Committee approving each product. The group separately owns Al Hilal Bank, which is a fully licensed Islamic bank. A window customer uses ADCB branches, the ADCB app and the ADCB contact centre, with Shariah-compliant contracts and segregated profit pools.
How does the ADCB Islamic Super Saver reach 5.5%?
The 5.5% is a 2.25% base expected rate on monthly average balances of AED 50,000 to AED 20 million plus a 3.25% bonus paid only on new-to-bank funds above your March 2026 benchmark balance. Money moved from other ADCB accounts does not qualify for the bonus. Below AED 50,000 the base is 0.01% and above AED 20 million it is 1.00%.
What salary do I need for ADCB Islamic personal finance?
The personal finance page does not print a salary floor; it requires assignment of salary and end-of-service gratuity to ADCB Islamic Banking and tenors of 6 to 48 months. The current account, which you will need, requires a minimum monthly salary of AED 5,000. Rates start from 5.99% for expatriates and the processing fee is 1.05% of the finance amount.
Who is on the ADCB Islamic Shariah committee?
ADCB publishes five members: Professor Dr Jassim Al Shamsi as chairman, Dr Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Dr Salim Al Ali, Dr Osama Bahar and Professor Dr Engku Rabiah Adawiah, with Kamran Khalid Sherwani as secretary and head of internal Shari'ah control. The chairman is also a member of the Central Bank's Higher Shari'ah Authority.
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Does the ADCB Islamic 365 Cashback Card have an annual fee?
There is no annual fee in the first year. From the second year the primary card costs AED 383.25 including VAT. Cashback requires at least AED 5,000 of retail spend in the calendar month and is capped at AED 1,000 a month, with 6% on dining, 5% on fuel and Salik and selected subscriptions, 3% on groceries and 1% on other retail.
