Al Hilal Bank, a progressive Islamic bank, was officially awarded the Certification Service Provider (CSP) license by the Emirates eGovernment during simple ceremonies held today (Wednesday, October 12, 2011) at GITEX, the region’s leading ICT event being held in Dubai.

Al Hilal is the first bank in the UAE and only the second organization after Etisalat to be granted the CSP license, which authorizes organizations to issue Electronic Attestation Certificates and other services that use Electronic Signatures. The licensure is the culmination of work that began in 2010, when Al Hilal Bank’s Information Security Department began deploying a bankwide Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

Emirates eGovernment works in line with the strategy of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and is responsible for formulating and overseeing the implementation of the eGovernment strategy on the federal level, ensuring robust shared infrastructure for federal government entities, and enhanced government services.

Commenting on Al Hilal Bank’s CSP accreditation, H.E. Salem Khamis Alshair, Director General of Emirates eGovernment said, “CSPs are a step forward in the field of eCommerce, and a must for boosting online trade in the UAE. CSPs help boost consumer confidence and can help achieve higher turnover in online trade. Without CSPs, it would be difficult to verify the authenticity of digital signatures since there are no digital certificates to tell how each user’s digital signatures should look like.”

Mohamed Jamil Berro, Chief Executive Officer, Al Hilal Bank said, “It is fitting that we received our CSP license during GITEX, a major ICT event. Automation has always been a priority in our service improvement plans, and this licensure proves our exceptional ability to use advanced technologies for the benefit of our customers. We will continue to adopt pioneering strategies for electronic exchange and other key services and coordinate with Emirates eGovernmentand other government agencies in ensuring that our operations complement their vision of a digital society,” Al Hilal Bank is fully owned by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, the investment arm of the Government of Abu Dhabi. It currently operates 19 local branches and more than 90 ATMs across the UAE as well as three branches in Kazakhstan, serving over 40,000 clients.

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