is what the best DIB card returns a year on our AED 8,000-a-month spend profile, after its annual fee — against AED 4,452 from FAB's best card. That is a AED 88 a year gap on cards alone, before any account or finance rate enters the picture.
Pick FAB for maximum scale, the widest UAE network and a broad conventional card and mortgage range; pick Dubai Islamic Bank if fully Sharia-compliant banking is a requirement rather than a preference. If you want to stay inside FAB but bank Islamically, FAB Islamic is its Sharia-compliant arm.
What this means for you
- The core difference is the banking model: FAB is conventional with an Islamic arm; DIB is Islamic across every account and card, using profit and fee structures instead of interest.
- FAB’s balance sheet and network are the larger of the two, which tends to matter most for big mortgages and Abu Dhabi-centred banking.
- DIB has been a full-service Islamic bank since 1975, so its Sharia-compliant range is a core product set rather than a window on a conventional bank.
- Both publish card and finance figures — compare the numbers in the table below rather than the marketing, and note where we hold no published figure for either side.
FAB vs DIB — the numbers
Fees, rates and salary floors for both banks, read straight from our committed UAE datasets. Each figure links to the issuer's own page and carries the date we last verified it. Where we hold no published figure for a bank, the cell says so — we never show an unknown as a zero.
| What we measured | FAB | DIB |
|---|---|---|
| Credit cards we track | 21 Open to new applicants in our UAE card knowledge bank Our card knowledge bank · verified 2026-08-11 | 12 Open to new applicants in our UAE card knowledge bank Our card knowledge bank · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Lowest ongoing annual fee | AED 0 FAB Rewards Indulge Credit Card — free for life Source · verified 2026-08-11 | AED 0 DIB Prime Infinite Card — free for life Source · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Highest published cashback rate | 12% on flights FAB Travel Credit Card · On flight bookings; requires AED 5,000 min previous-month spend · Needs AED 5,000 monthly card spend · Capped at AED 1,800 of reward a month Source · verified 2026-08-11 | 4% on groceries Consumer Cashback Platinum Credit Card · 4% cashback on supermarket & hypermarket purchases, capped at AED 400/month. UAE transactions only. · Needs AED 4,000 monthly card spend · Capped at AED 1,000 of reward a month Source · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Cashback on everyday spend | 1% on everything else FAB Cashback Credit Card · All other AED spend; non-AED international = 3% (covered by travel_flights entry). Excludes select MCCs listed separately. · Needs AED 3,000 monthly card spend · Capped at AED 1,000 of reward a month Source · verified 2026-08-11 | None on uncategorised spend Consumer Cashback Platinum Credit Card · No cashback on non-listed categories. Cashback on listed categories paid only when minimum AED 4,000 retail spend is achieved within the statement cycle (effective 10 May 2025). Source · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Lowest card entry salary | AED 5,000/month Lowest published card entry salary — FAB Cashback Credit Card Source · verified 2026-08-11 | AED 5,000/month Lowest published card entry salary — DIB Prime Platinum Card Source · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Best published savings rate | Not in our deposit dataset — check the bank's published schedule. | 0.3% Shaatir Savings Account · expected profit · Minimum balance AED 1,000 · No profit for any month the balance drops below AED 1,000. Source · verified 2026-08-12 |
| Personal finance rate | 4.7%–13.99% FAB Personal Loan · Minimum salary AED 7,000 Source · verified 2026-08 | 5.99%–21.99% Al Islami Personal Finance · Minimum salary AED 3,000 · Sharia-compliant Source · verified 2026-08 |
| Car finance rate | 3.79%–6.51% FAB Car Loan · Minimum salary AED 7,000 Source · verified 2026-08 | 3.93%–10.98% Al Islami Auto Finance · Minimum salary AED 3,000 · Sharia-compliant Source · verified 2026-08 |
| Home finance rate | 3.99%–4.44% FAB Mortgage Loan (Home Finance) · Minimum salary AED 15,000 Source · verified 2026-08 | Not in our loan dataset — check the bank's published schedule. |
| Sharia-compliant option | Yes — via FAB Islamic Conventional bank with a Sharia-compliant arm inside the same group | Yes — every product Fully Sharia-compliant bank · 2 Sharia-compliant finance products in our loan dataset |
Every figure in this table is read from our committed UAE datasets, not typed by hand: card fees, rates and salary floors from the credit-card knowledge bank (verified 2026-08-11), savings rates from each bank's own published rate sheet, and finance rates from each lender's website or Key Facts Statement. Where we hold no published figure the cell says so — it is never shown as zero.
Real-world value: AED 8,000 a month, in dirhams
A rate table only gets you so far — what matters is what a card returns on your spending. So we ran one stated household profile through the same optimizer that powers our Card Stack Builder, across every card each bank has open to new applicants, and took the best result on each side. Reward caps, minimum-spend gates and annual-fee waivers are all applied exactly as the optimizer applies them. Cards limited to one emirate or to UAE nationals are left out, because most readers can't get them.
One household, AED 8,000 a month on the card (AED 96,000 a year), on a salary of AED 20,000 a month. Both banks are scored on exactly this basket, so the comparison is like-for-like.
- GroceriesAED 2,000
- DiningAED 1,200
- Online shoppingAED 1,200
- Utilities & billsAED 800
- FuelAED 700
- FlightsAED 500
- HotelsAED 300
- CinemaAED 200
- Everything elseAED 1,100
- Rewards earnedAED 2,952
- Perks you'd actually useAED 1,800
- Annual fee (year 2 onwards)−AED 300
- Rewards earnedAED 2,100
- Perks you'd actually useAED 2,440
- Annual fee (year 2 onwards)None
Change the split — more groceries, less travel, a different total — and the winner can change with it. That is the point: there is no bank that is better for everyone, only a card that is better for a given basket. Run your own numbers in the Card Stack Builder.
FAB vs DIB — side by side
Beyond the figures, a neutral comparison of what can be verified publicly about how each bank operates — scale, account types, card line-ups, digital experience and network reach. Rates and fees move, so confirm any number above on each bank's published schedule of charges before you commit.
| Dimension | First Abu Dhabi Bank | Dubai Islamic Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Scale & home emirate | The UAE's largest bank by assets, headquartered in Abu Dhabi (formed from the 2017 NBAD–FGB merger). | The world’s first full-service Islamic bank (established 1975), headquartered in Dubai. |
| Conventional vs Islamic | Conventional; Sharia-compliant accounts and cards are offered through FAB Islamic. | Fully Sharia-compliant across every account and card — no conventional interest-based products. |
| Everyday accounts | Current, savings, salary-transfer and multi-currency accounts, plus premium/elite tiers for higher balances. | Sharia-compliant current and savings accounts and salary-transfer packages, with premium tiers. |
| Credit-card line-up | A broad range spanning cashback, air-miles/travel and premium cards, with Etihad Guest tie-ins on some products. | A broad range of Islamic (covered) cards spanning cashback, travel and premium tiers, on Sharia principles. |
| Digital & app experience | A full-featured mobile app for payments, cards and transfers; widely used, if less singled-out than ENBD’s app. | A mobile app for accounts, cards and Islamic-finance servicing. |
| Branch & ATM footprint | One of the widest branch and ATM networks in the UAE, densest in Abu Dhabi. | A wide branch and ATM network across the UAE, strongest in Dubai. |
| Notable fees | Follow FAB’s published schedule of charges; card annual fees are commonly spend- or salary-waived — confirm current terms. | Islamic cards use profit/fee structures rather than conventional interest; charges follow DIB’s published schedule. |
FAB vs DIB — FAQ
What is the main difference between FAB and Dubai Islamic Bank?
FAB is a conventional, interest-based bank — the UAE’s largest by assets — with Sharia-compliant products offered through FAB Islamic. Dubai Islamic Bank is fully Sharia-compliant across every product, using profit-and-fee structures rather than interest.
Is FAB bigger than DIB?
Yes, by assets. FAB is the UAE’s largest bank, formed from the 2017 NBAD–FGB merger. DIB is one of Dubai’s largest banks and the world’s first full-service Islamic bank, established in 1975, but it is the smaller of the two.
Can I bank Islamically with FAB instead of moving to DIB?
Yes — FAB Islamic is the group’s Sharia-compliant arm, so you can keep a FAB relationship and still hold Islamic accounts and cards. Whether that satisfies you is a personal judgement about banking with a conventional group.
Which has the better credit cards?
It depends on your spending and on whether you need a Sharia-compliant card. FAB has the broader conventional range; DIB’s covered cards span cashback through premium tiers. Compare what each would actually earn you in the Card Stack Builder.
Do you publish exact profit rates and fees here?
We publish the figures each bank itself publishes, read from our committed UAE datasets and dated. Where we hold no published figure the cell says so rather than showing a zero. Always confirm the current number on the bank’s own schedule before deciding.
FAB or DIB — which card actually earns more?
On a stated AED 8,000 a month of card spend, the best DIB card (DIB SHAMS Signature Covered Card) returns AED 4,540 a year after its annual fee, against AED 4,452 from FAB's best (FAB Cashback Islamic Credit Card) — a gap of AED 88. Both figures come from the same optimizer the Card Stack Builder runs, so change the spend split and the answer can flip.
Which pays more on savings, FAB or DIB?
On the rates in our UAE deposit dataset, we hold no published savings rate for FAB; DIB publishes 0.3% (Shaatir Savings Account · expected profit · Minimum balance AED 1,000 · No profit for any month the balance drops below AED 1,000.). Rates are the bank's own published figures and move — compare the full market on our UAE savings account finder.
Is a personal loan cheaper at FAB or DIB?
FAB's published personal-finance rate is 4.7%–13.99% (FAB Personal Loan · Minimum salary AED 7,000); DIB's is 5.99%–21.99% (Al Islami Personal Finance · Minimum salary AED 3,000 · Sharia-compliant). Both are taken from the lender's own page or Key Facts Statement — the rate you are offered depends on the bank's credit assessment. Compare every UAE lender on our UAE loan finder.
← Back to the UAE bank comparison hub to see all head-to-heads and bank profiles.
Neutral comparison for information only — not financial advice or a recommendation of either bank. Every figure above is the bank's own published number as recorded in our datasets on the verification date shown beside it; bank details, fees and card terms change, so always confirm the current figure on each bank's official website before deciding.