Hassan Abdalla, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), has been named “Governor of the Year 2025” by the Union of Arab Banks. The award was presented during a high-profile ceremony in Paris, on the sidelines of the Arab International Banking Summit, held under the patronage of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The award recognises Abdalla’s significant contributions to maintaining the stability of Egypt’s banking sector, his prudent management of monetary policy, and his active support for economic reform. It also reflects the increasingly prominent status of the Egyptian banking system—both regionally and internationally—and its key role in advancing economic growth and supporting the goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The Union of Arab Banks bestows this honour annually on distinguished Arab banking leaders whose achievements have made a lasting impact on the banking sector at both national and regional levels. Abdalla was unanimously selected by the Union’s Board of Directors, which includes representatives from 20 Arab countries, during its meeting in December last year.
Headquartered in Beirut, the Union of Arab Banks operates as a key regional institution and is a member of the Higher Coordination Committee for Joint Arab Action within the League of Arab States. Its mission is to strengthen ties among Arab banks, foster cooperation, coordinate activities, and promote a shared Arab identity in the financial sector. The Union currently includes over 360 financial and banking institutions across 20 Arab countries, as well as in Europe, Africa, and Turkey. It also counts 16 Arab central banks as observers, alongside several national banking associations.
The Union’s influence on the regional and global stage has expanded in recent years. Since 2019, it has held special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York and Geneva and serves as a supporting member of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) in Geneva.
