Ahmed Abdelaal’s leadership at Mashreq Bank has strengthened the bank’s technological innovation, international presence, financial performance and sustainability, earning him the CEO of the Year in the Middle East award.

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Mashreq Bank chairman, receives the William “Bill” Seidman Lifetime Leadership Achievement Award for transformative leadership in shaping the UAE’s banking sector, advancing public service and education, and empowering generations through innovation and philanthropy.

Leading financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa were recognised at the TAB Global Middle East and Africa Awards 2025 in Dubai.

Bold leadership and record-breaking deals have redefined the global banking landscape over the past decade. The top 10 CEO-led mergers highlight how strategic vision and timing continue to drive competitiveness across North America, Europe and beyond.

Matthew Probershteyn outlines how Deutsche Bank partners with clients and invests in people, processes and systems to detect financial crime, protect access and make correspondent banking safer.

Patricia Sullivan explains the shift to real-time correspondent banking—and how AI, APIs and DLT underpin dbX to unify payments, liquidity and foreign exchange in one architecture.

Ciarán Byrne explains how APIs, data and blockchain embed payments, FX and liquidity into client platforms, and how data-driven advisory services and embedded finance models position banks for 24/7 atomic settlement on networks such as Partior.

CTBC Bank showcased how its AI-driven platforms, zero-trust cybersecurity model and regulatory technology breakthroughs are positioning it as a leader in Taiwan’s digital and financial ecosystem.

China’s AI and digital finance evolution reflects decades of institutional learning, policy alignment and platform maturity. From Alipay’s trust revolution to AI-driven risk systems, the 2025 China AI Innovation Study Tour showcased how banks, techfins and regulators now innovate within an integrated ecoystem.

China’s AI innovation model blends entrepreneurial dynamism, policy alignment and technological self-reliance. As observed during the 2025 China AI Innovation Study Tour, platforms, banks and regulators have built an ecosystem integrating finance, data and governance — offering lessons but limited replicability abroad.

From banks and FMIs to exchanges and asset managers, institutions are embedding stablecoins and tokenised assets into regulated market architecture. TOKEN2049 Singapore 2025 marked a shift from experimentation to integration, as digital finance matures under clear regulatory guardrails.

The TAB Global World’s 100 Best CIW Banks Ranking 2025 shows that leadership is shaped less by profitability and more by strategic focus. Global giants dominate through assets and reach, while regional champions prove that efficiency and digital capability can rival size in defining success

Overall balance sheet growth in Asia Pacific and North America slowed amid weak credit demand, cautious lending and regulatory prudence, while European banks rebounded modestly and Middle Eastern banks saw accelerated expansion, fueled by government-backed investment projects.

TAB Global’s latest research highlights a banking industry navigating two powerful currents. On one hand, the world’s largest, strongest and best corporate, investment and wholesale (CIW) banks are defined by balance sheet scale, resilience and digital engagement. On the other, the next wave of innovation—tokenisation, stablecoins and digital assets—is beginning to reshape financial infrastructure. Together, these developments reveal how banks are positioning themselves for a future in which size, strength and technology are inseparable.

Every three years, the TAB Global Leadership Achievement Awards take stock of the individuals reshaping the banking industry. Unlike many recognition programmes, these awards look beyond financial performance to measure how leaders translate vision into execution over a meaningful cycle. The 2025 cohort of 15 Best Bank CEOs and Best Managed Banks, alongside two lifetime honourees and a global Bank CEO awardee, offers an inspiring snapshot of how leadership is being redefined in a time of disruption and uncertainty.