NBB Wins Best Printed 2021 Annual Report for Small-cap Companies at MEIRA Awards 2022

The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has won the “Best Printed 2021 Annual Report” for small-cap companies at the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA) Hybrid Annual Awards event that was held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

With a commitment to setting the local benchmark across the banking industry, NBB’s award underscores its ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive Annual Financial and Sustainability Report. In 2021, NBB launched its first Financial and Sustainability Report for the year 2020, which signified the organisation’s ventures into the ESG realm positioning the Bank as a sustainability-driven organisation. The Bank continues to develop an accurate and sufficient report that encompasses all of the organisation’s financial and non-financial milestones. 

Commenting on the occasion, Russell Bennett, Group Chief Financial Officer at NBB, said: “We are proud to have won the “Best Printed 2021 Annual Report – Small-cap companies” Award from the MEIRA Hybrid Annual Awards during a conference held in Riyadh. NBB continues to deliver market-leading reports that highlight key areas of growth and our overall yearly performance. This award reiterates the strength, relevance and weightage of our Annual Financial and Sustainability Report, positioning NBB as a leader in the field.  

Dana Buheji, Group Chief Human Resources and Sustainability Officer at NBB, said: “The initial launch of our Annual Financial and Sustainability Report was part of an organisational effort to embed sustainable transparency and responsible banking at the core of our operations. We are proud to have received this coveted award in recognition of our continued efforts and our goal towards fulfilling stakeholder expectations for a consolidated performance report linking to their sustainability concerns.”

Hisham Abu Alfateh, Head of Corporate Communications at NBB, said: “NBB continues to grow on an external and internal front, cementing our role as the leading bank in the Kingdom. Our recent accolade for the “Best Printed 2021 Annual Report” showcases our promise to meet international standards and best practices and is a result of the work of team members from different departments across the organisation. We look forward to maintaining the high-quality standards embedded in our reports as part of our vision to deliver a consistently accurate and balanced performance.”

On his end, John Gollifer, General Manager at MEIRA, said: “NBB has presented an exemplary annual report across all small-cap companies in the MENA region. MEIRA’s IR Reporting Awards are based on an independent review conducted by an experienced, expert panel of judges. Each year, MEIRA assesses the annual reports across the region to identify those that set a good example of actively engaging with the investment community through transparent and effective reporting in accordance with international best practice. We encourage all companies to consider the annual awards' process as a useful benchmark against which to gauge progress towards improving annual reporting.”

The MEIRA Annual Conference and Awards is the largest Investor Relations event in the MENA region. The event brings together participants from locally listed firms, international corporates, investors, research analysts and advisors, as well as representatives of the region’s regulatory bodies.