CEO Today Middle East Awards

21 CEO TODAY MIDDLE EAST AWARDS 2020 Banking government employees, sharing its expertise with public sector entities. The bank co-launched the Sultanate’s first roadshow that shed-light on the multifaceted benefits of Shari’a-compliant financial tools including banking, insurance and investment across multiple governorates. The bank has been collaborating with a number of private and government institutions, to lead and organise numerous workshops, events and roadshows empowering various stakeholders of different interests with the benefits of Islamic financial solutions to help them lead financially secure lifestyles. It has also hosted a number of international and local delegations to share its vast expertise and spread the understanding of the core principles of Islamic banking. Determined on making Islamic financial solutions more accessible to the different communities in Oman, the bank introduced its first branch-on-wheels, visiting multiple communities across the country like the Governorates of Muscat, Al Dakhiliyah, Al Sharqiya, Dhofar, Al Batinah and Al Buraimi. In addition, the SME & Commercial Banking has reached out to a host of SMEs across the Sultanate. The bank has also launched the dedicated Islamic Finance Knowledge Series for corporates to showcase the benefits of Islamic Finance to some of Oman’s largest corporate entities. Are developments in technology having a transformative effect on the banking sector? The digitalisation journey has been progressing quite rapidly. This is not a new trend anymore - it is the now and the future. To sustain your operations and grow, you must integrate the latest innovations into your product portfolio, operations, and even human capital in order to provide real value for your customers. The top five expected growth sectors for 2020 include peer-to-peer and crowdfunding, challenger banking, blockchain, robo-advisory and digital personal finance management, as well as online and crowdlending. At Bank Nizwa, we are harnessing innovation and technology for a sustainable growth of our operations. We are bringing the topic of FinTech in Islamic Finance to the forefront We are collaborating with the College of Banking and Financial Studies to organise the 1st Oman Islamic Finance Youth Forum. The forum will highlight and discuss the demands of the new age, with the objective of raising awareness over the multitude of opportunities that Islamic Finance presents to the society and economy. We have recently launched a new revamped Bank Nizwa mobile app, offering a host of convenient servicesonthego forour customers, as well as introducing a newbanking platform to facilitate an overall and encompassing banking experience for our customers, while ensuring the highest levels of data security across all touchpoints. What are your goals for the future of Bank Nizwa? Our strategy is seeing us lead in market share. We provide across- the-board access to Islamic Finance, banking and investment. As the largest and fastest-growing full-fledged Islamic bank in the Sultanate, Bank Nizwa is leading the sector’s growth by diversifying its portfolio into a multitude of industries. We’re constantly pushing boundaries and our ambition is to provide progressive Shari’a-compliant solutions for all. Our success story looks set to continue as we increasingly reach out to more new customers and communities across the Sultanate. Getting more corporates and small and medium enterprises to utilize the banking solutions available in our sector would mark a new step for the industry to gain more popularity and market share. Our strategy is built around innovation, efficiency, and the deeply inherited values in Islamic Finance. With that said, Bank Nizwa has been consistently introducing forward-thinking products and services such as its online and mobile banking solutions. I am confident that together with our stakeholders, we will be able to nurture the Islamic banking sector and deliver even greater benefits to the communities we serve. Focused on enhancing our products and service portfolio, systems and building a stronger human capital, we are moving forward with confidence towards achieving our growth goals. Tell us about this award and what it means to you. The CEO Today Middle East Awards is a well-respected accolade. It’s an honour to be awarded among other industry professionals, but this award while appreciated on an individual level, is only a reflection of the Bank Nizwa’s team hard work and dedication towards bringing the industry closer to customers across Oman. I’m humbled by the recognition but I dedicate it to the entire Bank Nizwa team.