IslamicFinance.de

First National Bank of #Botswana is re-launching products and service offering to the local Muslim community. Held at the Travel Lodge Conference Centre in Gaborone, the re-launch seeks to sensitize patrons and attract new customers. FNB Botswana CEO, Steven Bogatsu, said the re-launch has been long coming since the product was launched ten years ago in 2007. According to FNBB Islamic Banking Representative, Tahera Mhaisker, the offered services encompass transactional banking, vehicle and asset financing, as well as property finance for both residential and commercial properties. Mhaisker added that the re-launch was the culmination of an exciting journey for the bank.

Standard Chartered's Islamic division is seeking banking licences in three African countries in order to offer its services to the population. According to the bank's head of Islamic banking, Mohammad Ali Allawalla, Standard Chartered Saadiq could enter at least one of three markets, Nigeria, Botswana and Zambia, as early as 2017. The bank is also in discussions about gaining an Islamic banking licence in Brunei in South East Asia. Standard Chartered Saadiq's core markets are Pakistan, Malaysia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Bangladesh and in 2014 it entered the Kenyan market, its first move into Africa.

On Thursday, the Mo Ibrahim foundation announced that its prestigious Mo Ibrahim Prize for Outstanding African Leadership and Governance will have no winner for 2015. This makes it the fifth year this prize has gone unclaimed since its inception in 2006.
In a statement issued by the Chairman of the foundation, Mo Ibrahim, he agreed with this verdict. “When we launched the prize ten years ago, we deliberately set a very high bar.” The Sudanese-British mobile communications entrepreneur and billionaire founded the foundation with a clear objective: to encourage better governance in Africa based on the belief that governance lays at the heart of tangible and shared improvements in the equality of life of African citizens. However, this recent announcement means that a number of revered heads of states such as Emilio Guebuza (Mozambique) and Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, both widely credited with the sharp reduction of poverty in their respective states, and presiding over periods of notable economic success, have been overlooked for this year’s prize.
The Award has now been unclaimed more times than won

Banc ABC’s Head of co-operate Services, Zulfikar Chando has pointed out that Islamic banking would fuel investment and spending which will in turn support national economic development. The demand for this service with no interest rates shows the need to implement it and make it accesible, he added. BancABC also announced that for the upcoming annual pilgrimage to Mecca later this year in October, the bank has prepared special Visa cards at all their branches to ease the preparation of flight, accommodation and other details of the Holy trip. The service ensures ease and safety while travelling to any destination world wide, Zulfikar Chando explained that clients can choose between prepaid BancABC VISA cash card and BancABC Visa travel money, specifically made for travelling.