Wallets/ila-bank
ila Bank
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Overview
ila Bank is Bahrain's first cloud-based digital + mobile-only bank, powered by Bank ABC (Arab Banking Corporation) [1, 2, bh-cro]. Launched November 2019 as the region's first exclusively cloud-based digital retail bank. 2025 growth: ~40% customer growth since 2023 + 140+ app updates since launch.
2025 — ila Bank Global Finance Awards record haul [3]:
- Named "Best Mobile Banking App in the Middle East" at Global Finance Best Digital Bank Awards 2025
- Earned a record 11 awards across Bahrain + Middle East
ila Bank's Islamic banking innovation — alburaq [4]: New Islamic banking experience in Bahrain — distinctive Islamic-cloud-native banking offering.
Multi-country expansion: Bahrain primary + Jordan — Bank ABC's regional ila Bank rollout (ila Jordan launched 2024).
History
November 2019 — ila Bank launches by Bank ABC [2]: Region's first exclusively cloud-based digital retail bank in Bahrain.
2020-2024 — 140+ app updates + multi-country expansion (Bahrain primary + Jordan).
2024 — ila Bank Jordan launch as Bank ABC's regional expansion.
2025 — ~40% customer growth since 2023 + 11 Global Finance Awards including Best Mobile Banking App in the Middle East [3].
ila Bank's alburaq Islamic banking experience launch [4].
Ownership & operator
Operating entity: ila Bank (Bank ABC subsidiary).
Parent: Bank ABC (Arab Banking Corporation; BSE: ABC) — Bahrain-headquartered pan-Arab bank.
Regulators: CBB (Central Bank of Bahrain) + CBJ (Central Bank of Jordan) for ila Jordan.
Technical integration
| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Channels | ila Bank mobile app (iOS + Android; mobile-only banking) + ila Bank cards |
| Identifiers | Phone + email + card number |
| BH rail | [[emvco-qr]] (Bahrain national QR) |
| License | Bank (ila via Bank ABC subsidiary) — region's first exclusively cloud-based digital retail bank |
| Sub-products | ila Bank Account + ila Bank Cards + ila Bank Savings + ila Bank Loans + alburaq Islamic banking experience |
| Multi-country: Bahrain primary + Jordan (2024 launch) |
Users & growth
2025 baseline [3]:
- 2023-2025 customer growth: ~40%
- App updates since 2019 launch: 140+
- 2025 Global Finance Awards: 11 awards across Bahrain + Middle East
- 2025 distinctive recognition: Named "Best Mobile Banking App in the Middle East" at Global Finance Best Digital Bank Awards 2025
- Multi-country: Bahrain primary + Jordan (2024 launch)
Use cases
Bahraini + Jordanian mobile-only digital banking (deposits + cards + savings + loans); alburaq Islamic banking experience; multi-country Bank ABC regional digital banking footprint; region's first cloud-based digital retail bank.
Implementations & partners
Operator: ila Bank (Bank ABC subsidiary).
Parent: Bank ABC (Arab Banking Corporation; BSE: ABC) — Bahrain-headquartered pan-Arab bank with multi-country MENA presence.
Major Bahraini digital + payment competitors:
- [[benefitpay]] (BENEFIT Company 17-bank Bahraini consortium; BH national wallet)
- NBB Mobile (National Bank of Bahrain)
- BBK Mobile (Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait)
- Al Salam Bank Mobile
Major MENA digital-banking competitors:
- [[wio-bank]] (UAE; 250K retail + 120K business; AED 50B+ deposits)
- [[mashreq-neo]] (UAE; 4.8-star app + NEO PLUS Saver 6.25% + NEOPAY $22B + Nov 2025 NEO Pakistan)
- [[liv]] (Emirates NBD digital subsidiary; UAE)
- [[hala]] (Saudi SME comprehensive infrastructure)
Regulators: CBB (Bahrain) + CBJ (Jordan for ila Jordan).
Fun facts
- Bahrain's first cloud-based digital + mobile-only bank (November 2019 launch).
- Region's first exclusively cloud-based digital retail bank.
- ~40% customer growth since 2023 + 140+ app updates since launch.
- 2025 Global Finance Awards record haul: 11 awards across Bahrain + Middle East.
- 2025 named "Best Mobile Banking App in the Middle East" by Global Finance Best Digital Bank Awards 2025.
- Bank ABC (Arab Banking Corporation) parent — Bahrain-headquartered pan-Arab bank.
- alburaq Islamic banking experience — distinctive Islamic-cloud-native banking offering.
- Multi-country: Bahrain primary + Jordan (2024 launch).
Comparison
| Feature | ila Bank | [[benefitpay]] (BH national wallet rival) | [[wio-bank]] (UAE digital bank rival) | [[mashreq-neo]] (UAE Mashreq digital banking rival) | [[liv]] (UAE Emirates NBD digital subsidiary rival) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | ila Bank (Bank ABC subsidiary; pan-Arab parent BSE: ABC) | BENEFIT Company (17-bank Bahraini consortium) | Wio Bank PJSC (ADQ + Alpha Dhabi + e& UAE + FAB) | Mashreq Bank PSC (DFM: MASQ; Al Ghurair Group + Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Chairman) | Liv (Emirates NBD subsidiary) |
| Type | BH first cloud-based digital + mobile-only bank + multi-country BH + JO + alburaq Islamic banking experience | BH national mobile wallet + national QR | UAE full-banking-license digital bank + SME + retail + Invest | UAE Mashreq digital banking (NEO PLUS Saver) + NEOPAY merchant-acquiring + NEO Pakistan | UAE digital-only lifestyle bank |
| Country | BH primary + JO (2024 launch) | Bahrain | UAE | UAE + Pakistan (NEO PK Nov 2025) | UAE |
| Distinctive | Region's first cloud-based digital retail bank; ~40% growth since 2023; 140+ app updates; 2025 Global Finance Awards record 11 awards + "Best Mobile Banking App in the Middle East"; alburaq Islamic banking; Bank ABC pan-Arab parent | 17-bank Bahraini consortium; Pay10 Sibos India Oct 2025 cross-border | 4 UAE national strategic shareholders; Euromoney Best Digital Bank SMEs 2025 | UAE's most-rewarding savings rates 6.25%/5%; NEOPAY $22B; Sep 2023 Alipay+ partnership; Nov 2025 NEO Pakistan Islamic-first | First MENAT digital joint accounts; Liv X crypto Mar 2025 |
Status
Active, Bahrain's first cloud-based digital + mobile-only bank [2, 3]:
- ila Bank (Bank ABC subsidiary) since November 2019.
- ~40% customer growth since 2023 + 140+ app updates since launch.
- 2025 Global Finance Awards record 11 awards including "Best Mobile Banking App in the Middle East".
- alburaq Islamic banking experience + multi-country Bahrain + Jordan (ila Jordan launched 2024).
- CBB + CBJ regulated.
Sources
- 1 ila Digital Bank — Bahrain official
- 2 Bank ABC launches ila digital mobile-only bank — ila Jordan
- 3 ila Bank Global Finance Awards 2025 record 11 awards — ila Bank
- 4 ila Bank alburaq Islamic banking — The Digital Banker
- bh-cro In-corpus:
reports/countries/BH-bahrain.md
Source
Biography extracted from ila-bank.md. See matrix.md for standards-support matrix if present.