UAE listed firms’ second-quarter profits surge 28.6% to Dh79.2 billion

Listed companies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai generated combined net profits of $21.6 billion in the second quarter of 2026, a 28.6% increase from the same period last year, according to Kamco Invest’s latest GCC Corporate Earnings Report.

Abu Dhabi firms accounted for most of the growth. Their aggregate profits rose 41.8% year on year to $14.7 billion, compared with $10.3 billion in the second quarter of 2025. Dubai-listed companies reported $6.9 billion, up 4.9% from $6.5 billion a year earlier.

The results showed the resilience of UAE companies amid ongoing regional conflict. For the first six months of the year, combined UAE net profits reached $38.9 billion, an increase of 21.6% from $32 billion in the same period of 2025. Abu Dhabi’s first-half profits rose 29.8% to $25.2 billion, while Dubai’s increased 8.5% to $13.7 billion.

Abu Dhabi’s banking sector earned $3.5 billion in the quarter, up 12.1%. First Abu Dhabi Bank posted the largest profit among listed banks at $1.6 billion, while Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank’s earnings rose to $919.1 million from $699.2 million as operating income expanded 12%. Food, beverage and tobacco companies recorded $3.5 billion in profits, more than triple the previous year, helped by International Holding Company’s non-operating gains and a one-off boost from investment disposals. Capital goods profits rose 170%, led by Two-Point Zero Group.

In Dubai, banking and real estate generated 75.9% of total quarterly profits. Bank earnings rose 5.1% to $3.3 billion, supported by Mashreq Bank and Emirates NBD. Real estate profits increased 20.1% to $1.9 billion, led by Emaar Properties, which reported $1 billion in quarterly profit after $7.2 billion in property sales. Across the wider Gulf, listed companies earned $74.8 billion in the quarter, a regional record and a 31.3% year-on-year increase.