Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) is the relationship bank of the UAE's full Islamic banks: more than 60 branches including Dana women's branches and mall branches, over 500 ATMs, free unlimited teller transactions, and a family of accounts for children, students and new residents. The current account needs a declared salary of AED 5,000, a minimum balance of AED 3,000, and charges AED 25 plus VAT in any month the balance falls below that. Savings accounts run on Mudaraba and pay monthly; ADIB prints the actual distributed rate each month, which in August 2026 was 0.28% to 0.30% a year on Ghina balances despite a 5.25% expected-rate headline for new accounts. This review of ADIB sets out every published number.
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ADIB in verifiable facts
ADIB is a full Islamic bank headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Its Internal Shari'a Supervisory Committee is named on its website: Professor Dr Mohammad Abdulrahim Sultan Al Olama as chairman, Professor Dr Jasim Al Shamisi as vice chairman, Professor Dr Ashraf Hashim, Dr Ali Hussain Al Junaidi and Dr Yasir Hassan Alhosani as members, with an executive committee drawn from the first three. ADIB's annual report describes the board nominating committee members, obtaining Higher Shari'a Authority approval, and then presenting them to the general assembly, alongside a Group Head of Internal Shari'a Audit who also serves as vice chairman of the UAE Banks Federation's Shari'a audit committee.
The retail footprint is the point. Where Al Hilal has gone digital-only and DIB leans on its alt app, ADIB still sells branch access as a feature on its product pages. If you are weighing a branch bank against an app bank, the bank accounts hub frames the choice; ADIB sits firmly at the branch end.
Current accounts, the AED 3,000 floor and the waivers
The ADIB Current Account can be opened by anyone declaring a salary of AED 5,000 or more. It comes with a free Visa debit card, free first cheque book (AED 25 for each later book), free e-statements, standing instructions, and the choice of AED, US dollar or sterling. Teller transactions are free and unlimited at every branch, which no other bank in our comparison matches. The Electron Account is the same thing without a cheque book, aimed at new residents whose visa is still in process, and the Smart Account is a Mudaraba savings account with no minimum balance that pays profit from AED 1, limited to one AED account per customer.
The Banking Services and Tariff Board, version 64 dated August 2026, sets the monthly minimum balance at AED 3,000 for current, Electron, savings, Ghina Salary and Ghina Savings accounts, with a monthly fall-below fee of AED 25 if the balance goes below AED 3,000 during any month. VAT is added. The Key Facts Statement lists the waivers: the fee is not charged if the daily closing balance never falls below AED 3,000, if the account is the repayment account for an active auto, personal or home finance, for pensioners receiving their pension at ADIB, for Ghina Salary accounts that received at least one salary of AED 5,000 in the past three months, for Mazaya customers, for minors' accounts, and for certain ADIB@Work packages. Closing an account within six months costs AED 100.
Savings, Ghina and the gap between expected and actual
The ADIB Savings Account is a Mudaraba investment account, which the page says plainly: you share profits and bear losses as set out in the Banking Service Agreement. Profit is calculated monthly and credited monthly, and you need a minimum monthly balance of AED 5,000 to be eligible. Above it sit the Short Term Investment Account from AED 10,000 and the Investment Deposit Account for fixed terms. For children and students there are Banoon, the Student Savings Account and Amwali for youth, which we cover in our guide to Islamic kids' and youth accounts.
Ghina is the prize-linked account and the place where ADIB's disclosure is both best and most awkward. The page promises new Ghina Savings accounts an expected profit rate of 5.25% a year, or 5.55% with a salary transfer, plus entry into draws: AED 1 million every quarter, and each month 10 prizes of AED 10,000, 10 of AED 5,000 and 25 of AED 2,000, with a 1 kg gold prize and an apartment added to the early 2026 draws. Further down the same page is the table of actual customer profit rates for August 2026: 0.28% a year on AED 5,000 to 10,000, 0.29% on AED 10,000 to 25,000 and 0.30% above AED 25,000, across AED, US dollar, euro, sterling, Swiss franc, Canadian dollar and yen. ADIB states that prizes are paid from shareholders' funds and that future distributions may vary.
| Ghina tier | Actual rate August 2026 (p.a.) | Headline expected rate |
|---|---|---|
| AED 5,000 to 10,000 | 0.28% | 5.25% new account; 5.55% with salary transfer |
| AED 10,000 to 25,000 | 0.29% | Same headline |
| Above AED 25,000 | 0.30% | Same headline |
Both numbers are on the same official page. The sensible reading is that the headline applies to a defined promotional period and balance for new accounts and the table is what the pool actually distributed. Before opening, ask ADIB in writing which period and which balance the 5.25% applies to. Our analysis of UAE prize savings accounts explains why the draw rather than the rate is usually the real product.
Personal finance: amounts, grace period and the KFS rates
ADIB Personal Finance goes up to AED 3 million for UAE nationals and AED 2 million for residents, over up to 48 months, with a grace period of up to seven months before the first instalment and two instalment postponements a year without fee. Minimum salary is AED 5,000, minimum age 21, and the finance must end by age 60 for expatriates and 65 for nationals. The live product page does not print a headline rate. The Key Facts Statement does: fixed Murabaha profit rates of 7.25% to 20% for personal finance products other than debt settlement, and 5.99% to 12% for debt settlement, while the Debt Settlement page separately advertises a reducing rate from 4.49% a year for customers who also take a covered card.
The structure is share or Sukuk Murabaha, which is why the KFS lists brokerage fees: 0.55% of the trading amount on the Dubai Financial Market and 0.30% on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, each capped at AED 2,475 plus VAT, for products that use a non-nominee account. The processing fee is 1% of the finance amount with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 2,500 plus VAT. The non-waived portion of profit on early, partial or final settlement is up to 1% of the outstanding Murabaha cost, capped at AED 10,000 plus VAT. The donation commitment for a late instalment is AED 100, direct debit set-up is AED 100 plus VAT, and optional takaful protection starts from 1.25% of the finance amount. The personal financing hub sets these beside the other seven banks.
Car and home finance: generous limits, quoted rates
ADIB car finance runs up to AED 1 million for UAE nationals, AED 500,000 for expatriates with a salary transfer, and AED 350,000 without one, over up to 60 months, from a salary of AED 5,000. The product page says, in so many words, contact us for the best offering, while a separate calculator page advertises a rate from 1.99% for salaries of AED 5,000 and above. The auto finance KFS gives the range the quote will fall in: 5.25% to 8.25% reducing without salary transfer and 4.75% to 8.25% with it, or 2.75% to 4.49% expressed as flat rates. One instalment deferment a year is allowed, six instalments must be paid between postponements, and the terms note that a dealer discount under a Musawama contract can be passed fully to the customer if the contract says so. The car financing hub compares this against the banks that do print a rate.
Home finance is organised by purpose: buy a house, buyout, non-resident finance, finance against property, construction for UAE nationals, the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, plot finance, and a 20% advance for under-construction homes. The tariff board prices the exits: early settlement is 1% of the outstanding base amount or AED 10,000, whichever is less; partial settlement is 1% of the amount paid under the same cap; a no-objection certificate costs AED 150 and a clearance letter AED 95; life takaful is 0.025% a month on the outstanding base amount, with the option to assign a single-contribution policy from any UAE takaful provider instead. Our DIB vs ADIB home finance piece goes deeper on the certificates and variants.
Fees from the tariff board you will actually meet
- Monthly fall-below fee of AED 25 plus VAT when a current, Electron, savings or Ghina balance drops under AED 3,000 during the month.
- Account closure within six months costs AED 100; an account balance certificate costs AED 50, or AED 35 through the app.
- Subsequent cheque books cost AED 25, or AED 20 through the app; a returned cheque costs AED 100 and a stop payment AED 50.
- Debit card replacement costs AED 25; foreign-currency card transactions carry a service fee that includes a 1.15% Visa charge, with a new pricing basis effective 10 September 2026.
- Standing instruction set-up costs AED 50, free for Mazaya and Rise customers; the Mazaya package itself costs AED 100 a month.
- Personal finance processing is 1% (AED 500 to AED 2,500) plus VAT; early settlement is capped at AED 10,000 plus VAT.
ADIB commits in its KFS to 60 calendar days' notice before changing the tariff board or general terms, and the board carries a version number and date, which makes it one of the easier UAE fee documents to track over time.
Where ADIB's disclosure leads and where it lags
Two things ADIB does better than most. Its deposit pages say Mudaraba and link an Announcement of Profit Distribution Method, and its Ghina page prints the actual distributed rate per tier for the latest month with a link to the last 24 months. That is the disclosure our provider verdict singles out. The KFS documents are specific down to brokerage fees and the exact waiver conditions, and the tariff board is versioned.
Where it lags is on finance pricing. Car finance says contact us. Personal finance has no headline on the live page, and the KFS range of 7.25% to 20% fixed is wide enough to cover almost any quote. The 5.25% Ghina headline sitting above a 0.30% actual table is accurate but needs a question before you rely on it. Against Emirates Islamic, which prints flat and reducing rates side by side, ADIB asks you to trust the branch. For the head-to-head with the other giant, read DIB vs ADIB and our new Dubai Islamic Bank review.
Verdict: who should choose ADIB
Choose ADIB if you want branches, unlimited free teller service, a family of children's and youth accounts under one roof, and a bank that publishes what its Mudaraba pool actually paid last month. It suits households banking together, pensioners (whose fall-below fee is waived), and customers who value a relationship manager over a published rate card. The AED 5,000 salary floor for the current account is the main gate, and the AED 100 closure fee inside six months is the main cost of trying it.
Look elsewhere if you shop on price. For personal finance, Emirates Islamic, Sharjah Islamic and FAB Islamic publish starting rates you can compare without a call; for car finance the same applies. If you want a current account without a salary requirement or a minimum balance, Ruya has neither. And if a 5.25% headline is what drew you to Ghina, open the account only after ADIB confirms in writing which balance and which months earn it, because the distributed rate the same page shows for August 2026 is 0.30% at best. Facts checked against adib.ae, centralbank.ae on 8 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum salary to open an ADIB current account?
ADIB's current account page says the account may be opened for customers with a minimum salary of AED 5,000, declared on the account opening form. The same floor applies to personal finance, car finance and debt settlement. The Electron Account serves new residents whose visa is still being processed, and the Smart Account has no minimum balance and pays profit from AED 1.
What is ADIB's fall-below fee and how do I avoid it?
The tariff board charges AED 25 plus VAT in any month a current, Electron, savings or Ghina balance goes below AED 3,000. It is waived if the daily closing balance never drops under AED 3,000, if the account repays an active ADIB finance, for pensioners paid at ADIB, for Ghina Salary accounts receiving at least AED 5,000 salary, for Mazaya customers, for minors' accounts, and for some ADIB@Work packages.
Is the ADIB Ghina account really paying 5.25%?
The Ghina page advertises an expected profit rate of 5.25% a year for new accounts and 5.55% with a salary transfer, and on the same page prints the actual customer profit rates distributed for August 2026: 0.28% to 0.30% a year depending on tier. Prizes are paid from shareholders' funds. Ask ADIB in writing which balance and period the headline rate covers before you open the account.
What profit rate does ADIB charge on personal finance?
ADIB's Key Facts Statement lists fixed Murabaha profit rates of 7.25% to 20% for personal finance products other than debt settlement, and 5.99% to 12% for debt settlement; the Debt Settlement page separately advertises a reducing rate from 4.49% with a covered card. The processing fee is 1% (AED 500 to AED 2,500) plus VAT and early settlement is capped at 1% of outstanding cost or AED 10,000.
Does ADIB require a salary transfer for car finance?
No. The car finance page states that no salary transfer is required and the minimum salary is AED 5,000, but the limits change: up to AED 1 million for UAE nationals and AED 500,000 for expatriates with a salary transfer, and AED 350,000 without one. The KFS shows reducing rates of 4.75% to 8.25% with salary transfer and 5.25% to 8.25% without.
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Who sits on ADIB's Shariah committee?
ADIB's website names Professor Dr Mohammad Abdulrahim Sultan Al Olama as chairman, Professor Dr Jasim Al Shamisi as vice chairman, and Professor Dr Ashraf Hashim, Dr Ali Hussain Al Junaidi and Dr Yasir Hassan Alhosani as members. Nominations require Higher Shari'a Authority approval before the general assembly votes, and the bank maintains a separate internal Shari'a audit function.
