Amid great anticipation among leading professionals from banking and finance institutions, the 27 winners of the Annual Banker Middle East Product Awards 2010 were revealed yesterday at a prestigious ceremony in Dubai. The event brought together a number of distinguished regional and global industry experts from around the world.
The Banker Middle East Product Awards recognized banking products and services within the Arab region that are either exceptionally innovative or have generated excellent financial results and/or transference of market share, particularly during times of economic hardship.
“The astonishing growth of competition within the banking and financial sector has compelled institutions and banks to further innovate their products and services, says Dominic de Souza, Chairman of CPI Financial. “We are proud to recognize and honour those who have excelled, and exceeded customer expectations throughout the Arab region.”
“Every year we see a reflection of the industry’s immense progress in the Banker Middle East Product Awards. Designed to encourage, inspire, and reward distinction in the banking and finance industry, those awarded have set the standard for others within the sector,” continues Robin Amlôt, Managing Editor of CPI Financial.
The demand for quick, convenient and efficient transactions is inevitable in the fast-paced and technologically driven society. Those who have overcome the competition and met the challenges head on were recognized in last night’s Awards ceremony. Some of the top desired awards were presented to Gulf Bank of Kuwait for ‘Best New Product,’ Bank Sarasin-Alpen of the UAE for ‘Best Structured Product,’ United Arab Bank of the UAE was recognized for ‘Best Customer Service,’ Kuwait Finance House-Bahrain won ‘Best Islamic Covered Card,’ and Union National Bank from the UAE was awarded ‘Best Credit Card.’
Following a careful analysis of the voting results, final winners were announced at the 20th April gala dinner taking place at the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai. This year’s results were impressive, with a great voter turnout due to the increased volume of readers of their publication, Banker Middle East, as well as their weekly email newsletter, Business Intelligence.
Eight institutions in the UAE won accolades, three of which were the most prestigious awards of the night: Emirates National Bank of Dubai won ‘Best Personal Loan,’ ADCB was awarded ‘Best Corporate Account,’ Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank was recognized for ‘Best Saving Account,’ Al Rostamani International Exchange won ‘Best Forex Broker,’ Al Ansari Financial Services was honoured for ‘Best Equities Broker,’ Bank Sarasin-Alpen received an award for ‘Best Structured Product,’ United Arab Bank won ‘Best Customer Services,’ and Union National Bank was honoured for ‘Best Credit Card.’
Following is the full list of the winners:
Best Current Account National Bank of Oman
Best Personal Loan Emirates NBD - UAE
Best Corporate Account ADCB - UAE
Best Trade Finance Offering BLOM Bank - Lebanon
Best Saving Account Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank - UAE
Best Home Finance Product Arab Bank - Jordan
Best Internet Banking Service Burgan Bank - Kuwait
Best Online Trading Platform Mubasher - Saudi Arabia
Best Forex Broker Al Rostamani Int’l Exchange - UAE
Best Commodities Broker Attijariwafa Bank - Morocco
Best Equities Broker Al Ansari Financial Services -UAE
Best Premium Banking Service National Bank of Kuwait
Best Investment Advisory Service Société Générale Private Banking - France
Best Phone Banking Service SABB - Saudi Arabia
Best Branch Design IBQ - Qatar
Best Retail Marketing Campaign Barwa Bank - Qatar
Best Structured Product Bank Sarasin-Alpen - UAE
Best Customer Loyalty Programme Gulf Bank - Kuwait
Best Customer Care Centre Doha Bank - Qatar
Best Customer Services United Arab Bank - UAE
Best Ladies' Banking Service National Bank of Kuwait
Best New Product Gulf Bank - Kuwait
Best Mutual Fund BLOM Bank - Lebanon
Best Investment Product Barclays - UK
Best Islamic Covered Card KFH-Bahrain
Best Credit Card Union National Bank - UAE
Best Research House Bank Audi - Lebanon
