Company: Banque Internationale Arabe de Tunisie
Country: Tunisia
Sector: Regional Banks
CEO: Not publicly listed
Website: http://www.biat.com.tn
Careers Page: Not publicly listed
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: Tunis, Tunisia
Founded: 1976
Valuation/Revenue: $531.5m revenue; $1,036.0m market value (African Business Top 250, 2025)
Banque Internationale Arabe de Tunisie (BIAT) is Tunisia’s largest private-sector bank, offering retail, corporate and investment banking services through an extensive network of over 185 branches across Tunisia plus an office in Libya. It has traded on the Bourse de Tunis for decades and is a cornerstone institution of the Tunisian financial system.
What Does BIAT Do?
BIAT provides the full range of universal banking services: retail deposit and lending products, SME and corporate financing, trade finance, treasury operations and investment banking services, serving individuals, businesses and institutional clients across Tunisia. Its scale and branch density make it a dominant player in Tunisian retail and commercial banking, and it has historically played a significant role in financing Tunisian trade and industry.
Is BIAT Legit?
Yes. BIAT is a long-established, Bourse de Tunis-listed bank regulated by the Central Bank of Tunisia, founded in 1976 through the merger of the Tunisian branches of Société Marseillaise de Crédit and the British Bank of the Middle East. It is widely regarded as Tunisia’s leading private bank by assets and branch network, publishing regular audited financial statements as required of a listed financial institution.
How Big Is BIAT?
According to African Business magazine’s Top 250 companies in Africa list for 2025, BIAT generated revenue of approximately $531 million against a market value of roughly $1.04 billion, ranking 152nd among Africa’s largest companies and giving it one of the higher market-value-to-revenue ratios among the region’s listed banks in this dataset, reflecting its scale relative to the smaller Tunisian equity market. It is consistently ranked among the largest banks in Tunisia by total assets and deposits.
Who Owns BIAT?
BIAT was founded by Tunisian economist and politician Mansour Moalla in 1976 and has since evolved into a widely held, Bourse de Tunis-listed institution with a shareholder base that includes Tunisian institutional investors, insurance groups and private shareholders. Precise current shareholding percentages should be verified against BIAT’s latest annual report, as is standard practice for listed North African banks where block ownership can shift.
Is BIAT Publicly Traded?
Yes. BIAT trades on the Bourse de Tunis (Tunis Stock Exchange) and is one of the exchange’s largest and most liquid listed companies, frequently cited as a bellwether for the broader Tunisian banking sector and economy.
How Does BIAT Compare to Its Competitors?
BIAT is generally regarded as Tunisia’s largest private bank, competing against other major Tunisian banks such as Amen Bank, Attijari Bank Tunisia (part of Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank group) and Banque de Tunisie, as well as state-owned banks like Société Tunisienne de Banque. Its scale, branch density and historical reputation for stability have helped it maintain a leading market position through Tunisia’s periods of political and economic volatility since the 2011 revolution.
What Has BIAT Been in the News For Recently?
BIAT, along with the broader Tunisian banking sector, has navigated a challenging macroeconomic environment in recent years, including Tunisia’s sovereign debt sustainability concerns, periods of tight liquidity, and government pressure on banks regarding lending to the state and public enterprises. Tunisian banks including BIAT have also faced scrutiny over profitability amid a difficult economic backdrop, even as BIAT has continued to be cited as one of the country’s most resilient and well-capitalised financial institutions.
Links
Website: http://www.biat.com.tn
Careers Page: Not found
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
Is BIAT legit? Yes, it is Tunisia’s largest private-sector bank, listed on the Bourse de Tunis and regulated by the Central Bank of Tunisia.
Who owns BIAT? A widely held shareholder base including Tunisian institutional and private investors, following its 1976 founding by Mansour Moalla.
How big is BIAT? Revenue of about $531 million and market value of roughly $1.04 billion per African Business’s 2025 Top 250 ranking.
Where is BIAT headquartered? Tunis, Tunisia.
How many branches does BIAT have? More than 185 in Tunisia plus an office in Libya.
Is BIAT publicly traded? Yes, on the Bourse de Tunis.