ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) on Sunday beat analysts' estimates, posting a 5.5 percent rise in third-quarter net profit as it was boosted by higher revenues from a larger customer base.

The results mark the end of a mixed reporting season for banks in the United Arab Emirates, as while some lenders continued to post rising earnings, others began to show signs of impact from the lower oil price on the Gulf country's economy and constrained liquidity within the banking sector.

Abu Dhabi's largest Shariah-compliant bank made a net profit of AED503.2 million ($137 million) in the quarter ending Sept. 30, compared with AED476.8 million in the same period a year ago, it said in a statement.

Analysts at Beltone Financial and EFG Hermes forecast net profit for the period of 480 million dirhams and AED498.5 million respectively.

"Despite a more challenging operating environment and the increasing competition among banks in the UAE, we have seen continued growth in our customer numbers," said Tirad Al-Mahmoud, ADIB’s chief executive.

The number of active customers served by ADIB increased by more than 100,000 year-on-year to 855,468, the statement said.