UAE banks keep digital services running despite disruption

Several banks stabilise digital platforms after temporary outages linked to a region-wide IT disruption

Downtime that impacted some UAE banks’ digital services earlier this week is steadily being resolved, with lenders maintaining operations as the region navigates geopolitical tensions.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) confirmed on Wednesday that its retail mobile banking application is now successfully restored after a disruption that lasted around 48 hours.

The outage impacted the bank’s retail mobile banking app and customer contact centre. 

However, ADCB said all other services — including branches, ATMs, card services, web-based internet banking, and corporate and commercial banking platforms — remained fully operational throughout the disruption.

“The reliability of our banking services is fundamental to the trust our customers place in us, and our teams worked tirelessly around the clock to restore services safely and as quickly as possible,” said Ala’a Eraiqat, group CEO of ADCB Group.

“While our systems are robust, we are taking this opportunity to further strengthen our operational resilience and service infrastructure to ensure we continue to deliver the high standards of reliability and service our customers expect from ADCB, even in unlikely extreme situations like this,” he added.

The bank said most mobile banking features are now available again, while some minor services continue to be progressively restored as systems return to full capacity.

Meanwhile, Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) said its operations have remained uninterrupted.

“All banking services, systems, digital platforms, and customer engagement channels remain fully operational, with no disruption to branch, digital, or remote banking services,” the bank said in a statement.

Dr Bernd van Linder, CEO of CBD, said the bank continues to operate normally across all channels.

“Our priority is to deliver uninterrupted banking services and maintain consistently strong customer interactions across branches, digital channels and all relationship-managed platforms,” he said.

“We are operating normally across all branches and channels, supported by a strong liquidity position and a robust capital base.”

Earlier disruptions across UAE banking services

The reassurances come after reported disruptions affecting several UAE banking services earlier this week.

Customers experienced difficulty accessing phone and digital banking services linked to Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic, First Abu Dhabi Bank and ADCB. Banks cited a region-wide IT disruption at the time, though the exact cause has not been confirmed.

The issues occurred amid Amazon Web Services (AWS) confirming that its facilities in the UAE and Bahrain had been impacted by drone strikes amid the wider Middle East conflict.

However, it remains unclear whether the cloud disruption was directly linked to the banking outages.

Despite the temporary issues, banks said core services remained accessible through alternative channels such as internet banking, branches and ATMs.

Financial institutions are also urging customers to remain vigilant against fraud attempts during the current situation.

Several banks, including HSBC UAE, have warned that scammers may attempt to impersonate government entities or authorities to obtain personal data such as Emirates ID details or banking credentials.

Banks stressed that customers should never share sensitive information through unsolicited calls or messages, and should verify communications only through official government or bank channels.