PwC’s latest report highlights GCC banks’ opportunity to strengthen service, digital reliability, and fraud protection as online conversations rise

• Online conversation volume about GCC banks reaches 2.8 million mentions across six markets.
• Yet, consumer sentiment declines as service delays, digital failures, and fraud concerns escalate.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 24 September 2025

The latest GCC Banking Sentiment Index, published by PwC Middle East in collaboration with DataEQ, reveals a notable decline in consumer sentiment towards GCC banks despite a sharp increase in online conversations across the region.

This year’s index analysed consumer sentiment towards leading banks across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. The volume of online conversations about GCC banks reached 2.8 million between September 2024 and February 2025. This escalation in activity, driven in part by promotional campaigns, reflects the growing role of social media as a primary channel for consumers to engage with banks in the region.

PwC Middle East noted in its report that while reputational sentiment remained strong across all banks, there were areas that required further attention, particularly operational challenges in customer service and product performance. Key areas for improvement included response times, staff training and communication channels, which were identified as contributing factors to customer dissatisfaction. Addressing these operational challenges will be essential for enhancing overall service quality and the customer experience.

Jean Abouassi, Financial Services Consulting Leader at PwC Middle East, added:
 “The region’s retail banking sector is at a turning point, shaped by rapid digitisation and rising consumer expectations. The winners will be those that combine innovation with service excellence, transparent pricing and secure digital platforms. Listening to customer feedback at scale is now a business imperative, and those who act proactively will be better positioned to build trust, foster loyalty and contribute to the region’s long term economic transformation.”

Jamie Botha, Head of Global Partnerships at DataEQ, said:

“Unstructured customer feedback, particularly from social media, offers banks a real-time view of how their services are experienced. By making sense of millions of these conversations, banks can identify the issues that matter most, from digital reliability to perceived fraud risks and service responsiveness. Turning these signals into action enables banks to resolve pain points faster, strengthen digital trust, reduce risks and ultimately improve the day-to-day banking experience for their customers.”

The study also revealed notable gaps in customer experience delivery, with operational shortcomings threatening to undermine reputational gains achieved through promotional campaigns and brand partnerships. Addressing these issues will be vital if banks are to align with national digitisation and financial inclusion agendas. The index further found that banks responded to only 57 per cent of priority conversations, down from the previous year. This decline highlights the difficulty banks face in managing the rising volume of social media interactions, a challenge that continues to weigh on overall consumer sentiment.