The Mena Banking Excellence – Corporate & Investment Awards 2025 brought together senior executives from across the region to celebrate the most impactful advancements in institutional banking at Dubai’s One&Only Royal Mirage.
Organised by GlobalData’s MEED unit, the awards recognised banks that improved cross-border access to capital, strengthened risk frameworks and contributed to regional development initiatives.
Go deeper with GlobalData
This year’s most entered categories were Mena Sustainable Bank of the Year, Best for Transaction Banking Services and Best Digital Transformation Initiative, highlighting the sector’s increasing focus on sustainability, integrated systems and strategic modernisation.
“This year’s winners showed a deliberate shift towards addressing systemic challenges in institutional banking,” said Sarah Rizvi, banking and finance editor at MEED. “From environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks and Islamic finance structures to transaction banking upgrades, the winners focused on building long-term resilience into their operating models.”
The full list of winners is available here.
“Corporate and investment banks are under pressure to deliver capital-efficient growth while adapting to changing client demands,” said Ed James, head of content and analysis at MEED. “The strongest performers are investing in scalable platforms, embedding ESG into risk processes, and enhancing service delivery for regional and global clients.”
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe awards followed MEED’s CXO Leadership Think Tanks, a high-level, closed-door forum that convened senior executives to explore strategies around cyber resilience, regulatory complexity and institutional growth in a volatile economic environment.
16th annual RBI Asia Trailblazer Awards
In April, MEED recognised standout achievements in retail, digital and SME banking at the 16th annual RBI Asia Trailblazer and MENA Banking Excellence Awards. The winners—drawn from across the GCC, Levant and North Africa—were profiled in the June 2025 Banking Excellence Special Report, available to download via this link.
A full summary of insights and award case studies will be featured in the Banking Excellence Special Report: Corporate & Investment 2025, which will be published in August.
