Al Hilal Bank, a progressive Islamic bank, won as ‘Best Retail Bank (GCC)’ during the 6th edition of the prestigious Islamic Business & Finance Awards held recently in Dubai. This marks the fourth major industry recognition for the bank this year.
Al Hilal Bank won the most number of votes under the ‘Best Retail Bank’ category from readers of the Islamic Business & Finance magazine – the authoritative voice of the global Islamic finance industry with a worldwide circulation spanning all continents – and registered users of the www.cpifinancial.net website. More than 250 distinguished regional and global industry professionals from around the world honoured Al Hilal Bank alongside other leading Islamic financial institutions for their outstanding performance in 2011.
Earlier in March of this year, Al Hilal Bank won for ‘Best Branch Design’ at CPI Financial’s annual Banker Middle East Product Awards. This was followed by the ‘Quality Appreciation Award’ presented during the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA), the UAE’s most prestigious business excellence award. Al Hilal was chosen later on as the ‘Most Improved Bank’ during the ‘2011 Bank Benchmark Index Awards’ organized as part of the ‘UAE Customer Service Week’ that ran in October.
The recognition reflects Al Hilal Bank’s industry-leading efforts to raise service standards across the local banking sector, especially within the retail segment. Among the bank’s unique retail offerings are the UAE’s largest banking branch, thumb verification of customer transactions at all branches, instant issuance of Visa Debit Cards, a ‘Double the Profit’ saving scheme, the Middle East’s first-ever bank-installed gold ATM, and zero per cent vehicle financing.
“This has been a great year for Islamic finance and an exceptional one for Al Hilal Bank as we have been privileged enough to have received a number of awards from prestigious bodies. This award is of great importance as it reflects the confidence and support we enjoy from our valued customers and from the general public. We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to all the people who voted for us and thank CPI Financial and its Islamic Business & Finance team for bestowing us with this honor. This is a great motivation for us to continue developing and providing the best Islamic banking services,” said Mohamed Jamil Berro, CEO, Al Hilal Bank.
The annual Islamic Business & Finance Awards is organized by CPI Financial, the Dubai-based publisher of the Islamic Business & Finance magazine. CPI Financial was founded in 1999 and offers a comprehensive portfolio of market-leading periodicals, products and services tailor-made for the banking and financial sector. A total of 31 awards were handed out to the Gulf’s top Islamic bankers, financiers and Islamic banking and finance institutions during the event.
Al Hilal Bank is fully owned by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, the investment arm of the Government of Abu Dhabi. It currently serves over 50,000 clients through 19 local branches and 112 ATMs across the UAE as well as three branches in Kazakhstan. Among its future plans is the establishment of 3 new branches in the UAE.
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