Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank PJSC (ADIB) was established on 20 May 1997 in Abu Dhabi, UAE by the Government of Abu Dhabi under the Amiri Decree No. 9 of 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, with the aim of becoming the leading Islamic bank in the UAE. On 18 October 1998, ADIB was licensed as an Islamic bank by the UAE Central Bank pursuant to the UAE Federal Banking Law and the UAE Federal Islamic Banking Law. 

ADIB commenced its operations on 11 November 1998 from its headquarters in Abu Dhabi and was formally inaugurated on 18 April 1999 by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs. ADIB initially provided Sharia- compliant deposit, automobile and personal and corporate financing services to its retail and corporate customers.

Subsequently, ADIB focused on expanding its retail, commercial and corporate operations by improving and increasing the range of products and services it offered to its customers and increasing the size of its branch and ATM network. By its 10th anniversary, ADIB was operating over 110 ATMs across the UAE, and a total of 45 branches north to south.

In addition to its retail, commercial and corporate divisions, ADIB also operates a treasury division and an investment banking division which manage the bank’s surplus liquidity, foreign exchange services and investment products business. 

On 15 November 2000, ADIB was listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Market (the ADSM). In 2005, ADIB established two subsidiaries, Abu Dhabi Islamic Financial Services to carry on brokerage business and Burooj Properties LLC to provide real estate finance products and services in response to customer demand driven by the high rates of growth in the UAE’s capital markets and real estate market.