Private company

British Arab Commercial Bank

International bank

The British Arab Commercial Bank PLC (BACB) is an international wholesale bank incorporated in the United Kingdom that is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the PRA and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It was founded in 1972 as UBAF Limited, adopted its current name in 1996, and registered as a public limited company in 2009. The bank has clients trading in and out of developing markets in the Middle East and Africa.2 It is headquartered in London.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1972Founded1
  • Industrybank1
  • HeadquartersLondon1
  • Legal formPublic Limited Company3
  • LEI213800EF3SHQLBJPGB203
  • StatusActive3
  • LEI statusIssued and current3
  • Registered address8-10 MANSION HOUSE PLACE, EC4N 8BJ London, United Kingdom3
  • Registered withCompanies House, 010473023

The British Arab Commercial Bank PLC (BACB) is an international wholesale bank incorporated in the United Kingdom that is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the PRA and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It was founded in 1972 as UBAF Limited, adopted its current name in 1996, and registered as a public limited company in 2009. The bank has clients trading in and out of developing markets in the Middle East and Africa.2

The story

Origins

The bank was founded in 1972 as UBAF Limited and changed its name to UBAF Bank Limited in 1977. It began as an affiliate of Midland Bank, and became an affiliate of HSBC when HSBC took over Midland Bank in 1992. The bank adopted the name British Arab Commercial Bank in 1996.

Since 2009

In 2009, Commercial Bank of Egypt sold its 8% stake. At the time, the other shareholders were HSBC (49%), Libyan Foreign Bank (26%), Bank Al-Maghrib (8%), and Banque Extérieure d’Algérie (8%). Banque Centrale Populaire eventually bought out Bank Al-Maghrib and thus gained a stake in BACB.

In 2010, HSBC sold its 49% shareholding to the Libyan Foreign Bank ("LFB"), a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Libya ("CBL"). Its share is 87.80%, with the other shareholders being Banque Centrale Populaire (6.10%), and Banque Extérieure d’Algérie (6.10%). On 2 June 2009, the Bank changed its corporate status from that of a private to a public company.

In 2016, the bank opened a new representative office in Abidjan, to add to its existing representative offices in Algiers, and in Tripoli.

From Wikipedia’s article on British Arab Commercial Bank, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1972Founded Founded1