IslamicFinance.de

Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) announced the launch of open banking services starting from 1st of July 2019. This is the result of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and its directive to integrate all retail banks in the Kingdom with FinTech companies. The open banking services features two types of services. The Account Information Service grants customers access to their bank account data from different banks through a single unified platform. The second service entails transfers between different accounts through a single application. According to BisB CEO Hassan Jarrar, Open Banking is a game changer, offering new online payment channels without the need for credit cards or debit cards.

Bahrain Islamic Bank is seeking to sell about 82m dinars (£166m) of unproductive assets such as land and shares as part of a five-year plan to boost growth. The lender sold 14m dinars-worth of these assets in the first half and plans the sale of a similar amount in the remainder of the year. S&P Global Ratings downgraded Bahrain in February because its vulnerability to slumping oil prices has increased since 2009. Fitch Ratings expects Bahrain’s general government debt to rise to almost 80% of GDP this year, from 62% in 2015. According to CEO Hassan Jarrar, Bahrain Islamic Bank plans to boost revenue by 20 to 25% annually, achieve a return on equity of 15% to 16% and cut its cost-to-income ratio to mid-40% from 60% over two years.

Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) has appointed Hassan Jarrar as its new chief executive, with effect from July 1. Jarrar, who is currently the chief executive of Standard Chartered Bank Bahrain, will take over the reins from Mohammed Ahmed Janahi who has been Bahrain Islamic Bank’s acting CEO since September 1 last year. Janahi will become the deputy chief executive after Jarrar takes over. The new chief executive said he was confident that Bahrain Islamic Bank would assume an active role in Islamic banking field through perfecting its systems and services and the development and refining of products to enhance its role and status in the local and regional markets.

It was reported that Standard Chartered PLC’s Chief Executive Officer for Bahrain, Hassan Jarrar, is leaving to head Bahrain Islamic Bank BSC. Standard Chartered confirmed his departure. Jarrar served as CEO of its Bahrain unit since November 2011, and was earlier the head of origination and client coverage for the lender’s wholesale banking unit in the UAE. Jarrar’s departure comes amid a shake-up in top management at the London-based lender after profit slumped. Chairman John Peace, CEO Peter Sands, Asia head Jaspal Bindra and Viswanathan Shankar, head of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Americas, are all leaving the bank.