“Can a regional Arab bank's digital-only sub-brand build a regulated, API-first retail banking platform that exports across the GCC and MENA?”
ila Bank is the digital-only retail brand of Arab Banking Corporation (Bank ABC), launched in Bahrain in 2019 and later extended to Jordan. The strategy has been to layer modern mobile-first experiences (Hassala goals, Jamiyah savings circles, Al Kanz prize-linked savings, Apple Pay) on top of Bank ABC's licensed banking infrastructure. In 2026 ila completed a core banking transformation onto Temenos running on AWS, signaling a shift toward a cloud-native, API-first stack capable of supporting Bahrain's Open Banking Framework as a regulated ASPSP.
ila Bank discloses Arab Banking Corporation (B.S.C.) / Bank ABC (in-house) as its banking provider, with Arab Banking Corporation (B.S.C.) as its sponsor bank, according to the Embedded Finance Index 2026.
ila Bank does not disclose a bank charter of its own; its banking services are provided through Arab Banking Corporation (B.S.C.).
ila Bank processes payments through ila Bank (self-operated, on Temenos Payments).
ila Bank's cards are issued through Arab Financial Services (AFS).
ila Bank's lending and capital products are provided by ila Bank / Bank ABC (in-house).
ila Bank runs its ledger on Temenos Core Banking (on AWS).
ila Bank connects to bank accounts through Tarabut Gateway.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 7 layers in ila Bank's stack: Payments / PSP (ila Bank (self-operated, on Temenos Payments)); Banking / BaaS (Arab Banking Corporation (B.S.C.) / Bank ABC (in-house)); Card issuing (Arab Financial Services (AFS)); Ledger (Temenos Core Banking (on AWS)); Lending (ila Bank / Bank ABC (in-house), ila Credit Cards (Blue, Switch, Gulf Air, Black, White) and Easy Payment Plan (EPP) - credit card installment conversion); Open banking (Tarabut Gateway); Sponsor bank (Arab Banking Corporation (B.S.C.)).
ila Bank is founded in 2019 and headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.
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