This Index – which was developed by Ethos Integrated Solutions – studied 65 banks in the GCC region over the past six months through a number of mystery shopping exercises, such as branch experiences; website interactions and call center responses. Of the 65 banks researched, 22 were based in the UAE, 10 were from Saudi Arabia, nine each were from Bahrain and Qatar, eight from Kuwait, and seven from Oman.

After evaluating these brands, the Index named Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank as the Best Bank in the GCC for the second year running.

“In 2015, customers regarded their branch experience as the highest out of the three engagement channels of the study, and the data suggests that banks should focus and prioritise enhancing their online channels and capabilities,” Robert Keay, founder and co-owner of Dubai-based Ethos Integrated Solutions told UAE daily Khaleej Times. “The trend in the UAE over the past 11 years, since we started producing the Bank Benchmarking Index, is clearly positive and customer service performance has consistently shown improvement.