Al Baraka Group is a Bahrain-based holding company that owns Islamic banks in countries across the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Pakistan and South Africa. In 2025 it reported record total net income of US$357 million, up 16%, and total assets of US$31 billion, the highest since its inception, according to the group’s results announcement of 24 February 2026.
Al Baraka Group at a glance
| Registered | 27 June 2002, Central Bank of Bahrain licence |
| Headquarters | Manama, Bahrain |
| Total assets | US$31 billion (2025) |
| Total net income | US$357 million (2025) |
| Chairman | Shaikh Abdullah Saleh Kamel |
| Group CEO | Houssem Ben Haj Amor |
What does Al Baraka Group do?
The group does not run a single bank. It holds controlling stakes in locally licensed Islamic banks, each serving its own market under its own regulator. Units include Albaraka Türk, Jordan Islamic Bank, Al Baraka Bank Egypt, Banque Al Baraka d’Algérie, Al Baraka Bank Pakistan, Al Baraka Bank Lebanon and Al Baraka Bank South Africa, according to the group’s Wikipedia entry. The model lets the group share Shariah governance, products and capital across markets while each bank follows local rules.
Where did it come from?
The group’s roots go back to Saudi businessman Saleh Kamel, who started building Islamic banks in the late 1970s through his Dallah Al Baraka group. The holding company in its current form was registered in Bahrain in 2002. It listed on the Bahrain Bourse and Nasdaq Dubai in 2006 through an IPO that raised more than US$630 million.
Two structural changes followed. In July 2022 the company changed its name from Al Baraka Banking Group to Al Baraka Group after its licence was converted to an Islamic investment firm licence. Shareholders then approved delisting in November 2023, and the shares left the Bahrain Bourse in July 2024, making it a closed shareholding company.
What is its recent track record?
- Total net income of US$357 million in 2025, up from US$309 million in 2024.
- Net income attributable to parent shareholders of US$191 million, up 21%.
- Total assets of US$31 billion, up 18%, driven mainly by customer deposits in Turkey, Jordan and Egypt.
- Total equity attributable to parent shareholders and sukuk holders of US$1.37 billion, up 10%.
Chairman Abdullah Saleh Kamel said “2025 was not merely a year of growth” in the results statement.
Who is it for?
Al Baraka’s banks serve retail customers, SMEs and corporates in their local markets. For readers in North Africa in particular, its banks in Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt are among the names to know in local Islamic banking.
How does it compare with peers?
By assets, Al Baraka is smaller than single-country giants such as Al Rajhi Bank or Maybank Islamic. Its distinctive feature is geographic spread: few Islamic banking groups operate licensed banks in as many different regulatory systems. That spread also brings exposure to volatile currencies in markets such as Turkey and Egypt, which affects reported figures in US dollars.
How to connect
Group reports and links to each subsidiary are on the official site, albaraka.com.
FAQ
In Manama, Bahrain.
No. Its shares were delisted from the Bahrain Bourse in July 2024.
Saudi businessman Saleh Abdullah Kamel. His son Abdullah Saleh Kamel has chaired the group since June 2020.
It reported total assets of USD 31 billion at the end of 2025.
