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Reviews / ila Bank Edition №07 · 11 March 2026 · 1,400 words

ila Bank,
reviewed.

Bahrain's digital banking arm of Bank ABC — CBB-licensed since 2019, voice-banking + AI assistant.

Editor
Stephan Kulik
Founded
2019
EU customers
—
min read
6 / ~1,400
Disclosure ila Bank does not pay us a referral fee. This review is purely editorial. See the methodology → ila-bank · no_commission
77/100
One of the GCC's earliest dedicated neobanks — CBB-licensed since 2019.
Rank #56 / 60Bahrain digital banking
CategoryBahrain digital banking
LicencePayment
ila BankEdition №07
Licence
Payment institution
CBB (via Bank ABC parent)
Deposit protection
BHD 20,000 (BH DCS)
Bahrain Deposit & URIA Account Compensation Scheme
Customers (EU)
—
As of 2026-Q1 — // TODO(verify)
IBAN
BH (multi-currency)
BHD + USD + GBP + EUR wallet
01
Reviews

ila Bank, in full.

What ila Bank is, in 2026

Digital banking arm of Bank ABC, Bahrain's largest international bank. CBB-licensed since 2019. Voice-banking + AI assistant; multi-currency wallet (BHD + USD + GBP + EUR).

Safety and regulation

CBB full-bank cover via the Bank ABC parent; BH Deposit & URIA Account Compensation Scheme up to BHD 20,000 per depositor.

Who ila Bank is for

Use ila if: you're a Bahrain resident wanting a digital-first bank from a chartered Gulf parent. The smaller BHD 20,000 deposit ceiling means high-balance customers should diversify across institutions.

02
Pricing

ila Bank's plans, side by side.

ila Personal
Custom /mo
Free — Bank ABC subsidiary
  • Free — Bank ABC subsidiary
03
Scorecard

How we got to 77.

77/100
Same six dimensions we apply to every neobank in the index. Weights published; unchanged within an edition.
Regulation & safetyLicence class · DGS · resilience
25%64
Pricing & feesTransparent and competitive
20%88
Hands-on UXExtended primary-account test
20%85
FeaturesVaults · stocks · crypto · insurance
15%90
App stores iOS 4.3 · Android 4.1
10% 84
04 — Verdict

Bahrain's premier digital bank, by Bank ABC.
CBB-licensed since 2019. Voice-banking + AI assistant. BH DCS cover via parent.

ila Bank launched in 2019 as the digital banking arm of Bank ABC — Bahrain's largest international bank. CBB-licensed since launch (one of the GCC's earliest dedicated neobanks). Free ila Personal account, multi-currency wallet (BHD + USD + GBP + EUR), voice-banking and AI assistant differentiate the UX vs. UAE/KSA digital banks. BH Deposit & URIA Account Compensation Scheme cover up to BHD 20,000 (~EUR 50K) per depositor via the Bank ABC parent. The deposit ceiling is smaller than UAE/KSA equivalents, which limits high-balance use.

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Edition №07 · Updated 11 March 2026