Bank AL Habib Limited

One of Pakistan's largest private banks — conventional and Islamic retail, corporate, trade-finance, and digital banking. PSX ticker: BAHL.

• Last Verified: Sep 2, 2026
• Conventional + Islamic Banking
• Founded 1991
• Karachi HQ
• PACRA AAA / A1+ Rated

Written & reviewed by Dildar Hussain — 10+ years in Pakistani banking, BS Banking & Finance (NUML University)

What Bank AL Habib Is

Bank AL Habib Limited (PSX: BAHL) is a Karachi-headquartered commercial bank offering both conventional and dedicated Islamic banking through its Islamic Banking Division, which operates 417 dedicated Islamic branches (per the Islamic Banking Division's own current count — more recent than the 392 branches reported in the FY2025 annual report) plus 8 Islamic Banking Windows inside conventional branches. It is a KSE-30 index component and carries a AAA long-term / A1+ short-term entity rating from PACRA — the highest rating band available, reflecting the lowest expectation of credit risk.

The bank operates two overseas branches, in Bahrain and Malaysia, plus representative offices in Dubai, Istanbul, and Beijing, and is one of the largest handlers of foreign trade business among Pakistani private banks — it processed Rs 3.5 trillion in foreign trade business in 2025 alone.

Good For

• ✓Savers who want a top-tier (AAA/A1+) credit rating over the highest headline profit rate
• ✓Customers who want conventional and Islamic banking under one relationship, not two separate banks
• ✓Import/export businesses needing a bank with deep trade-finance infrastructure
• ✓Overseas Pakistanis using Roshan Digital Account — BAHL is one of the largest RDA participants
• ✓Freelancers and exporters who want a dedicated FCY-retention savings account
• ✓Anyone prioritizing branch reach — 1,348 branches and sub-branches across 554 cities

A Brief History

Bank AL Habib's sponsor, Dawood Habib Group, traces its banking lineage back to 1891, when Habib Esmail — founder of the Habib Group — began his career in Bombay trading copper and brass utensils, later expanding into cotton, oil seeds, and bullion. His sons formally established Habib Bank Limited in Bombay in 1941, and on the request of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Habib family shifted its businesses to Pakistan in 1947, with Habib Bank becoming the first bank to finance the new country's debt. Habib Bank Limited grew into a leading private-sector bank until it was nationalized by the Government of Pakistan on January 1, 1974, along with all other private banks.

Under the government's subsequent bank-privatization policy, Dawood Habib Group was granted permission to set up a new private commercial bank. Bank AL Habib Limited was incorporated as a public limited company in October 1991 and commenced banking operations in 1992, starting with shareholders' funds of PKR 300 million and just six branches. The late Hamid D. Habib — grandson of Habib Group's founder, and Habib Bank's own first Chairman until its 1974 nationalization — became Bank AL Habib's first Chairman. The late Rashid D. Habib served as the bank's first Managing Director and CEO until his death in 1994, after which Abbas D. Habib — Joint Managing Director since the bank's 1991 inception — took over as Managing Director and CEO, a role he held until October 2016.

By its Silver Jubilee in 2016, Mr. Mansoor A. Khan was appointed Chief Executive Officer (effective November 1, 2016) with Mr. Abbas D. Habib moving into the role of Chairman of the Board. Around that milestone, the bank's assets and shareholders' funds had crossed PKR 796 billion and PKR 46 billion respectively, on a network of 720+ branches and sub-branches, with overseas operations already spanning Bahrain, Malaysia, and (at the time) Seychelles, plus representative offices in the UAE, Turkey, China, and — following further African expansion — Kenya. Per the bank's own audited 35th Annual Report, it opened 102 new branches in the year ended December 31, 2025, taking its total network to 1,326 (1,323 branches, including 392 Islamic Banking Branches and 2 overseas branches, plus 3 representative offices); the network has since grown further to 1,348 branches and sub-branches across 554 cities and towns, per the bank's own branch-network-expansion announcement. Note: the bank's own 2026 Corporate Briefing Session presentation (filed with PSX) separately states 1,331 branches as of April 9, 2026 — a lower, earlier-dated figure from a different official source. The two aren't necessarily contradictory (different measurement dates, and the briefing figure may exclude sub-branches counted in the 1,348 total), but since the bank hasn't reconciled them itself, both are shown here rather than picking one: 1,348 (branch-network-expansion announcement, most recent) is used as the headline figure above, with 1,331 (April 2026 Corporate Briefing) as an earlier data point. Treat both as dated snapshots rather than fixed figures.

Leadership & Board of Directors

Mr. Abbas D. Habib is Chairman of the Board — a Founder Member of the bank with over 50 years of commercial, industrial, and banking experience, who served as Managing Director and CEO from 1994 until becoming Chairman on November 1, 2016. He also chairs AL Habib Asset Management Limited, the bank's wholly owned subsidiary since August 11, 2020. Mr. Mansoor Ali Khan has served as Chief Executive since November 1, 2016, having joined the bank in 1994 and held roles including Zonal Head, Group Head, and Chief Operating Officer.

The Board includes several founding and family-linked directors — Mr. Qumail R. Habib (Executive Director since 1991, overseeing Enterprise Risk and Corporate Strategy) and Mr. Anwar Haji Karim (founding director since 1991) — alongside independent and professional directors: Ms. Farhana Mowjee Khan (joined 2019), Mr. Mohammad Rafiquddin Mehkari (ex-President & CEO of Askari Bank, joined 2022), Mr. Humayun Bashir (former two-time CEO of IBM Pakistan, joined June 2024), Mr. Qasim Habib (former GM & Head of Marketing, Digital Innovation and Cards & Payments at the bank, joined April 2025), Mr. Aamir Amin (CFO of National Investment Trust Limited, joined May 2026), and Mr. Shoaib Javed Hussain and Syed Mohammed Hussain (both joined January 2026).

Sourced from Bank AL Habib's official About Us and Board of Directors pages.

Corporate Registration Details

Sourced from Bank AL Habib's official About Us, Investor Information, and Notice of Annual General Meeting pages. The bank's most recent Annual General Meeting was held February 27, 2025, per its 35th Annual Report; the next AGM date is set annually — check PSX's AGM/EOGM Calendar or the bank's own site for the current year's confirmed date rather than relying on this page for a live schedule.

Contribution to National Revenue

Per its FY2025 audited annual report, Bank AL Habib paid approximately Rs 54.44 billion in direct taxes to the Government of Pakistan during the year, and separately deducted/collected a further Rs 72.15 billion in withholding taxes, federal excise duties, and sales tax on services on the government's behalf — together exceeding Rs 126 billion routed to federal and provincial exchequers in a single year.

Sourced from Bank AL Habib's 35th Annual Report, Directors' Report section (year ended December 31, 2025).

FY2025 Financial Snapshot

Full breakdown, the latest quarterly update, and a categorized ratio analysis are on the Financial Results & Ratio Analysis page. Consolidated group profit after tax for FY2025 was Rs 32.5bn (EPS Rs 29.19), against Rs 41.9bn a year earlier — profit declined mainly due to falling interest rates during the year, even as deposits and advances rose.

Ownership & Credit Rating

Ratings and ownership as publicly disclosed by Bank AL Habib and PACRA; consult the bank's annual report for the current shareholding breakdown, as this shifts over time.

Group Structure

Sourced from Bank AL Habib's official About Us page and its 2025 Corporate Briefing Session disclosure to PSX (dps.psx.com.pk/download/document/265900.pdf), which lists AL Habib Capital Markets as 66.67% owned as of that filing.

Recent Corporate News

Bank AL Habib disclosed this to the Pakistan Stock Exchange following the August 20, 2026 board meeting; reported via Bloom Pakistan (bloompakistan.com), which cites the PSX disclosure directly. Last verified: August 23, 2026 — check the bank's own PSX filings for the deal's final status, since it remains subject to further approvals.

Recent Awards & Recognition

Sourced from Bank AL Habib's official Investor Information page, Financial Highlights disclosures, and its 35th Annual Report (Directors' Report, year ended December 31, 2025).

Why People Choose Bank AL Habib

Quick Facts & Common Questions

Explore Bank AL Habib on PakFinHub

More on Bank AL Habib

• Rates & Accounts

  Profit rates and every account type.

• Financial Results

  FY2025 audited results and ratio analysis.

• Branch & ATM Locator

  Network size and how to find a branch.

• Digital Banking

  AL Habib Mobile app and netbanking.

• Cards & Discounts

  Active merchant offers for cardholders.

• ApniCar Auto Finance

  Conventional & Islamic car financing, plus Cash & Laptop financing.

• Housing Finance

  Buy, build, or transfer your home loan — plus solar and low-cost housing.

• Business & SME Banking

  Corporate, SME, Trade, Cash Management, Guarantees & more.

• Helpline & Complaints

  Contact numbers and escalation path.

• Fraud & Security

  Real scam patterns BAHL has warned about.

• CSR

  Corporate philanthropy and community programs.

• Roshan Digital Account

  For overseas Pakistanis — accounts, remittance, investment.

• Careers & Jobs

  Where to find real openings and what to expect.

• IBAN Format & Generator Guide

  How BAHL's IBAN works, and where to get your correct one.

• Credit Cards

  Fees, eligibility, APR, and how to apply.

• Locker Facility

  Key deposit and annual fee by locker size.

• IBFT & Fund Transfer

  Free allowance, charges, and daily limits.

• Cheque Book & Stop Payment

  Cheque book, stop payment, and pay order charges.

• Personal & Cash Finance

  Secured Cash Finance and Personal Finance Facility.

• Scooter & Motorcycle Finance

  Standard and Woman Scooter Finance schemes.

• Dormant Account & Closure

  12-month dormancy rule, reactivation, and closing an account.

• Islamic Banking

  Mudarabah, Diminishing Musharakah, and every Islamic product.

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