OAB SUPPORTS NATIONAL PROGRESS AT TANFEEDH OPEN DAY

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Muscat, 7th December 2016: Continuing its support for Tanfeedh, the National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification, Oman Arab Bank participated in the Programme’s Open Day. During this key stage of the national initiative, the culmination of recommendations generated for boosting economic growth were shared with the public.

“We are proud to have been given the opportunity partner with Tanfeedh and support its mandate to facilitate international trade and investment, and shed light on the role we look to play in expediting infrastructure and construction projects,” remarked OAB CEO Amin Al Husseini. “Understanding the extraordinary significance of enterprise to the Sultanate’s future economic success, OAB, through its diverse portfolio of commercial financial solutions, is well positioned to support and contribute to the growth of business in Oman.”

The CEO went on to explain that as OAB looks ahead to playing its part in Oman’s future development, it is building on a strong heritage of trust. Indeed, for over thirty years, OAB has worked diligently to help secure Oman’s robust economic foundations. Contributing to national development and social progress, the Bank has financed major ventures in areas including hydrocarbons, transport, logistics, energy, and health. In addition, OAB has developed financial solutions to support both fledgling and established businesses, as they not only work towards their goals and achieve their ambitions but also generate employment and yield substantial benefit for the country.

Ubhar Capital (“U-Capital”) acquires Investment Management Group in Oman Arab Bank

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Muscat, 20th December 2016: In March 2016, Oman Investment Fund (OIF), Oman International Development and Investment Company (OMINVEST) and Arab Bank (Switzerland) (ABS) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to acquire Oman Arab Bank’s (OAB) Investment Management Group business. Over the past two decades, Investment Management Group has been a leading name in the investment sector. In Oman, Investment Management Group is one of the largest asset managers and a leading stock broker. It has executed some of the most notable corporate finance deals including initial public offerings (IPO’s), debt placements and other advisory mandates.

OIF, OMINVEST and ABS recently established Ubhar Capital SAOC (U-Capital), which is envisioned to become Oman’s leading independent investment banking platform. We are pleased to announce that on (insert date), U-Capital agreed to acquire Investment Management Group. The acquisition will encompass the entire existing Investment Management Group platform,including systems, human resources, licenses, assets and liabilities. We are also pleased to announce that U-Capital has been granted Regulatory Approvals to acquire Investment Management Group from OAB. The new Shareholders will provide significant strategic support to U-Capital to further develop and build its underlying lines of business, which encompass: investment banking, asset management, brokerage and custody services. U-Capital will commence business operations in January 2017.

Sheikh Hassan Al Nabhani, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Investment Fund, stated that acquisition of Investment Management Group is a major step towards realising their vision of creating a premier asset management company out of Oman – with global reach and capabilities. He expects U-Capital to cater to the investment needs of major institutional investors, while operating as a platform for attracting foreign investments into Oman. Sheikh Hassan elaborated that OIF is highly supportive of such platform acquisitions to create larger and more efficient businesses, creating economies of scale and realising synergies amongst our major portfolio companies. He added that U-Capital will focus on developing local human capital and create a pool of professional investment banking professionals.

Wahbe Tamari, Chairman of Arab Bank (Switzerland), said that ABS is pleased to enter into this transaction with OIF and OMINVEST. He added that ABS will provide support to U-Capital in building a world class institution catering to a broad base of regional and international customers. Tamari said he is excited about the prospects of working in Oman and contributing to the economic development of Oman.

Rashad Al Zubair, Chairman of Oman Arab Bank, said they are pleased that Investment Management Group has been a leading player in the investment banking sector in Oman and has been instrumental in Oman’s economic development over the past two decades. He stated that they are excited that U-Capital has long term sustainable growth plans for the company. OAB will now focus on its core strengths of building world class leading bank in Oman. Mr. Al Zubair made a special mention to the conducive investments and regulatory operating environment in Oman.

Abdulaziz Al Balushi, Group CEO of OMINVEST said they are proud to be a shareholder in U-Capital and very pleased to acquire Investment Management Group, a well-managed business with a strong track record. He added that Investment Management Group’s business will flourish under U-Capital and the Shareholders will lend all the support to make it a remarkable success by offering much better products and services to the clients.

Amin Al Husseini, OAB’s Chief Executive Officer said that the sale of Investment Management Group has been a concerted effort by the entire OAB management team and part of the overall strategy of the bank to augment its position in the Bank’s other business verticals. Al Husseini further added that the sale will significantly strengthen the Bank’s financial position and the proceeds will be utilized to finance core strategic initiatives. Al Husseini further thanked both the Central Bank of Oman and Capital Market Authority for creating a conducive investment environment and for their continued support.
Lo’ai Bataineh, who will be heading U-Capital and who has headed Investment Management Group since its inception, is confident of the bright future of U-Capital with its expanded scope.

Mr. Bataineh added that he and his team have been in touch with their clients throughout the transition. All clients can be rest assured that there will be no impact on their services and mandates and that their transition from Investment Management Group to U-capital will be smooth and seamless. He stated that the envisioned business expansion, new resources and capabilities are expected to make U-Capital one of the largest and best-equipped investment banking companies in Oman. Therefore, the customers of Investment Management Group and new clients will greatly benefit from a wider array of products and enhanced services offered by U-Capital.

HIGH POTENTIAL OAB EMPLOYEES LEAD PRESENTATIONS AT ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY SANDHURST

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Muscat, 18 December 2016 – In conclusion of Oman Arab Bank’s (OAB) ‘Leadership Enhancement and Development’ (LEAD) program, two high-achieving groups were selected to undertake training and present their projects related to strengthening the Bank’s strategies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK. LEAD is facilitated by IDG which has a relationship with Sandhurst that goes beyond sharing the Academy’s inspiring surroundings; but also shares an approach to leadership development and incorporates this in all of their leadership models. The six month program comprising of four modules had a total of 20 participants who went through a series of capacity-building leadership and management trainings designed to utilize best practices and provide managerial expertise and high-level workplace solutions.

Attending the final presentations at Sandhurst, CEO of OAB Amin Al Husseini said, “It is a remarkable achievement for these participants to be presenting their work at the renowned Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. At OAB, we have a strong culture of fostering the talent of our employees with the aim to not only develop their professional careers but also invest in their personal development. With the success of our LEAD initiative, we are even more deeply motivated towards our aim to prepare future leaders of the Banking and Finance Industry who will strongly contribute to the Sultanate’s national workforce.”

The LEAD program was designed and facilitated in cooperation with Inspirational Development Group (IDG), a global leadership and management performance consultancy. With the first three modules covering topics like development of leadership styles, self-awareness and strategic management, the final module highlighted areas such as strategic leadership and problem analysis as personal development planning including ways to self-measure progress and improve personal accountability.

Highly regarded for its standards of military training, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst has been home to generations of royal families globally who have undergone training at the British Army’s initial officer training centre. At the Academy, the teams visited the ‘Qaboos Pavilion’ which is founded by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for sports and recreational activities and toured Westminster Hall which connects the House of Lords and House of Commons. The delegates also had the chance to meet with Sir Jock Stirrup, a Senior Royal Air Force Commando and former Chief of Defense Staff before commencing their training the following day.

OMAN ARAB BANK HONORS 51 LONG SERVICE EMPLOYEES

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Muscat, December 26th, 2016: In recognition of their dedicated years of service, Oman Arab Bank (OAB) honored 51 long-term and retired employees with a special ceremony at the Hormuz Grand Hotel in Muscat. Led by the CEO of OAB, Amin Al Husseini, the Bank paid tribute to the commitment of the honorees and praised their years of success by presenting them with certificates and commemorative gifts.

Speaking at the ceremony, Amin Al Husseini said, “It is the hard work and commitment of our long standing employees that has contributed to preserving and advancing OAB’s legacy of trust and success. We believe that high-performing organizations are built by ambitious employees and I would like to take this opportunity to thank those employees for their commitment to making OAB one of the leading banks in the Sultanate.”

One of the honorees at the ceremony, Ali Al Lawati; Head of IT Administration commented, “

OAB has always invested in the professional and personal development of its workforce and has, as a result, progressed leaps and bounds since its establishment. I have grown from strength to strength in my career and commend OAB for fostering a positive work environment which will only bring them more success over the coming years.”

Regarded as one of Oman’s employers of choice, OAB has a longstanding tradition of acknowledging and celebrating the dedication of its staff. The Bank’s commitment to its workforce has helped spearhead its incredible growth over the years, which has seen OAB rise to operate more than 65 branches and offices in addition to over 135 ATMs in high footfall locations across the Sultanate.

Ministry of Civil Service Honours Oman Arab Bank

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Muscat, 28 December 2016 – Oman Arab Bank (“OAB”) has been recently honored for having contributed to the success of the project of hands-on training provided to civil servants from various units of the state’s administrative apparatus at private sector organizations (the “Project”), which is implemented by the Ministry of Civil Service. OAB was particularly honored during the official opening ceremony of the Project, which was held by the Ministry of Civil Service on 21 December 2017 under the patronage of HE. Sheikh Khalid bin Omar Al-Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service at Grand Hyatt Muscat Hotel.

Commenting on this occasion, Adil bin Ali Al Rahbi, [Head of Employee & Organizational Development] at OAB commended the Ministry of Civil Service’s efforts to reinforce co-operation between both public and private sectors in the area of human resources training and development. Al-Rahbi added that such initiatives directly contribute to an exchange and transfer of knowledge and expertise between the employees of both sectors; help identify the best administrative practices and learn about the state-of-the-art systems implemented at various organizations. He said that OAB had hosted in 2016 a group of civil servants from various units of the state’s administrative apparatus to join on-the-job training in different disciplines that serve the nature of their job, each within the scope of his/her competence.

It is noteworthy that OAB signed a Memorandum of Co-operation with the Ministry of Civil Service in June 2015, which Memorandum aims at reinforcing exchange of expertise and good administrative practices so as to improve the performance of human resources; consulting to develop common programs and action plans relating to administrative development; laying down such principles and standards as may be necessary for boosting the performance quality at the level of administrative units and institutions; and co-operating in implementing the on-the-job training project.

OMAN ARAB BANK SIGNS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH VISA

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Muscat, 3rd January 2017: Oman Arab Bank (OAB) has joined hands with Visa, the global payments technology company, in a strategic partnership agreement that will convert the Bank’s current electron cards to secure chip-and-PIN debit cards. Under the agreement, OAB customers will be able to utilize their cards equipped with the EMV chip-and-pin technology to ensure all payments are made conveniently and securely at millions of merchants around the world.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Fahd Amjad, GM Retail Banking said, “As a leading bank in Oman, our focus has consistently been to enhance customer experience by providing a wide range of innovative solutions and services. Our long-standing relationship with Visa goes back a decade. Our collaboration this time will result in the first contactless Visa debit card in Oman, secured by EMV chip and PIN technology of global standards. We are proud that once again through innovation we will create value for our customers. The new EMV enabled cards will be perfectly compatible with our newly introduced ATM software, making our digital offering stronger than ever before.”

Commenting on the partnership, Ahmed Gaber, Visa General Manager for Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain said, “With the use of electronic payments accelerating in Oman, it is essential that consumers have the tools to shop safely and securely with their cards. EMV Chip and PIN cards help to protect both the consumer and the merchant by adding an extra layer of security to a transaction while keeping the payment process quick and simple. Visa is delighted to work with OAB to roll-out the technology and to help bring additional peace of mind to its customers.”

Building on a successful legacy established since 1984, OAB today operates more than 65 branches and offices and over 135 ATMs in high footfall locations across the Sultanate. With its growing portfolio of services and banking solutions, OAB has strongly engaged with the local, regional and international community to promote the Sultanate as an economic trade and investment powerhouse.

Oman Arab Bank announces new “Hassad” prize scheme with 100 Monthly winners

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Muscat, February 14th, 2017: Oman Arab Bank (OAB), encouraging the savings habit with customers, has announced the new ‘Hassad’ Savings Scheme for 2017. The scheme has been completely revamped from last year to offer customers greatly increased chances of winning, with 100 guaranteed winners per month with different prize draws covering regional, Children’s, and Elite Account holders, together with Monthly Bumper Prizes and special customer draws.

Commenting on the launch of the new scheme, Fahd Amjad, the General Manager of Retail Banking at OAB said, “We believe our new ‘Hassad’ savings scheme makes Oman Arab Bank the bank of choice for customers looking to get rewarded for the habit of saving. By rewarding 100 winners monthly, we have now substantially improved the chances of winning for all our customers.”

The new Hassad savings scheme ensures customers from every region and branch have an equal opportunity to win, with OAB conducting prize draws every month alternating between regions and nationwide draws. Each of the draw will ensure a minimum of two winners of OMR 1,000 per branch in that respective region, together with multiple winners of OMR 500 across all branches and one Bumper draw of OMR 25,000 per month.

Oman Arab Bank’s banking proposition “Elite” for High Net worth customers will also benefit from the revised Hassad scheme. Elite customers will now be participating in a dedicated monthly draws with a prize pot of RO 25,000 monthly, together with a half-year and year end prize draw of RO 50,000 in June and December.

Continuing it’s tradition to reward children and ladies, Hassad prize scheme will have dedicated draws for both customer segments. Additionally, special occasion prizes for Omani Teachers day, Women’s day, Khareef, Eid Al Fitr & National day will also be celebrated with prizes for lucky winners.

OAB customers can easily open a ‘Hassad’ account with a minimum balance of OMR 100, in order to be eligible for the prize draws.

Oman Arab Bank is one of the first banks to be established in Oman, with a rich and proud history. Today, the bank operates a nationwide network of 67 branches and 120 ATMs spread across the Sultanate. OAB provides the complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate and investment clients.

Oman Arab Bank Participates in 2017 IIF MENA Financial Summit

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Muscat, February 16, 2017:  Amin Al Huessaini Oman Arab Bank, participated in a panel discussion on the ‘New Challenges Facing GCC Banks: Views from the C-Suite’ at the IIF MENA  2017 Financial Summit held this week.

Organized by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) and held at the Ritz Carlton – Dubai International Financial Centre Hotel, the 2017 IIF MENA Financial Summit took place between February 13-14. This financial world event was attended by more than  250 financial  leaders and policymakers from across the MENA Region, including global market participants.

The Summit featured expert panels and keynote speakers addressing topics of central importance to the financial industry, while discussing challenges and opportunities for this important and dynamic region of the world. These were conducted in a series of nine sessions and four keynote addresses, with topics ranging from ‘the outlook for the global economy’ and ‘developments in the global oil market’ to ‘current initiatives in the region promoting technology and innovation in the financial industry’. Amin Al-Husseini participated as a panelist in  a session on the new challenges facing GCC banks, held on the first day of the summit. The session illustrated how financial institutions overcame the  challenges faced in light of the sharp fall in oil prices, tightening liquidity  and rising interest rate.

Commenting on his participation in the Summit, Amin Al-Husseini noted, “I am privileged and humbled to sit on a panel representing the Omani Banking Sector. The IIF MENA Financial Summit provides a valuable opportunity for financial business leaders and experts from the MENA region to touch upon the various headwinds being faced by the Banking and Financial sector; facilitating the exchange of strategies and experience, together with possible solutions.

As part of his participation, Amin Al-Husseini, together with the remainder of the five-member panel, provided attendees with an outlook on the overall environment for Banks in the GCC in the next 12 to 24 months; including the key challenges they will face with regards to liquidity, regulatory developments , and the implementation of the new accounting methodology IFRS-9. The discussion panel also touched on other key areas of interest including Industry Consolidation, Compliance, Cyber Security, Digital Disruption, and Debt Capital Markets.

“Our participation in an event of such importance to the region also provided us with an invaluable opportunity to network with key financial leaders and experts from across the MENA Region; sharing ideas and solutions that address specific client needs. In doing so we can mold our own products and services to better serve the needs and requirements of our customers,” concluded al Huessaini.

Oman Arab Bank is one of the first banks to be established in Oman, with a rich and proud history dating back over three decades. Consistently expanding its reach, the Bank today operates a nationwide network of 65 branches and offices and over 135 ATMs spread across the Sultanate. It provides the complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate, and investment clients.

OAB organises ‘Let’s keep Oman Beautiful’ CSR Initiative

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Muscat, 7th March 2017:  As part of its commitment to the community, Oman Arab Bank (OAB) organised a clean-up initiative at Wadi Al Khoud. The event which carried the theme ‘Let’s keep Oman Beautiful’ was organised recently, and saw the participation of OAB employees and their families, together with a number of visitors to Wadi Al Khoud willing to join the Bank’s CSR initiative.

Commenting on the importance of such initiatives, Hilal O. Al Siyabi, Head of CSR at OAB said, “Although important, we at OAB believe that there is more to CSR than providing financial support to various social activities, CSR for us also includes the engagement of our employees with the community, which in turn will reflect positively on both parties. Therefore, at OAB we focus on promoting a culture of sharing and collaboration in volunteer work among OAB family members. Our goal is to instil a feeling of joy and satisfaction among our employees when serving the community. This initiative in particular reinforces the importance of collaboration in such social activities. Serving the community is a national obligation in which all members of society should be a part of, and we were pleased to see visitors to the Wadi joining us in our initiative.”

This event comes as part of OAB’s CSR initiatives, marking its first such event of this year and reflecting its commitment to the community. OAB employees and their families showed great enthusiasm in joining hands to clean the Wadi in order to reveal its true beauty and its prominence as one of the key tourism destinations in Muscat.

“At OAB we consider community work as an integral part of job and we do our best to encourage all our staff to participate and make each initiative a success. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every OAB staff member and their families who contributed towards the success of this initiative. I would also like to thank all the volunteers and visitors to the Wadi who participated in the initiative. I appeal to everyone to preserve the environment, and make sure not to pollute nature with waste; and especially so for our tourism attractions. In doing so we will set an example and indirectly teach the importance of preserving environment to our children as well,” Hilal Al-Siyabi added.

Oman Arab Bank is one of the first banks to be established in Oman, with a rich and proud history dating back over three decades. Consistently expanding its reach, the Bank today operates a nationwide network of 56 branches, 7 Islamic window ‘Al Yusr’ and over 135 ATMs spread across the Sultanate. It provides the complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate, and investment clients.

OMAN ARAB BANK ANNOUNCES HASSAD SAVINGS SCHEME LUCKY WINNERS FOR FEBRUARY

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Muscat, March 20, 2017 – Oman Arab Bank (OAB), as part of its continued efforts to promote the habit of saving, recently held its second monthly draw of this year’s ‘Hassad’ Savings Scheme at the Head Office in the presence of Amin AlHusseini, the CEO of OAB. The draw saw 25 winners receive OMR 500 together with 28 winners OMR 1,000 and ten winners of the OMR 250 child account draws spread across the nation. The draw also saw two customers win the bumper prize and ‘elite’ prize respectively of OMR 25,000 each.

Taking home the top prizes for the month of February, were  H Al Hattali, from the Bank’s Al Mabelah branch, who was the winner of the bumper prize of OMR 25,000 while A Al Kindi from Ruwi branch took home the ‘Elite’ prize of the same value.

Fahd Amjad, GM-Retail Banking at OAB said, “With our Hassad Savings Scheme this year we wanted to offer our customers the highest possible chances to win; in turn providing them with a greater incentive to save. In order to do so we had designed this year’s scheme to reward 100 winners per month. The draw for the month of February has already seen 65 winners being named, with the remaining 35 winner’s names to be announced as part of our upcoming special Omani Teachers Day Draw.”

Launched earlier in the year, the new Hassad savings scheme ensures customers from every region and branch have an equal opportunity to win, with OAB conducting prize draws every month alternating between regions and nationwide draws. Each of the draw will ensure a minimum of two winners of OMR 1,000 per branch in that respective region, together with multiple winners of OMR 500 across all branches and one Bumper draw of OMR 25,000 per month. OAB customers need only open an ‘Hassad’ account with a minimum balance of OMR 100, in order to be eligible for these prize draws. The Bank will also be conducting region and nationwide draws for children’s accounts with 10 winners of OMR 250 per month.

Oman Arab Bank’s banking proposition ‘Elite’ for High Net worth customers will also benefit from the revised Hassad scheme. Elite customers will now be participating in a dedicated monthly draws with a prize pot of RO 25,000 monthly, together with a half-year and year end prize draw of RO 50,000 in June and December.

Oman Arab Bank is one of the first banks to be established in Oman, with a rich and proud history. Today, the bank operates a nationwide network of 56 branches and offices and over 135 ATMs spread across the Sultanate. OAB provides the complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate and investment clients.