13 December 2015

Emirates Islamic, one of the leading Islamic financial institutions in the UAE, was honoured with four awards at CPI Financial's Islamic Business & Finance Awards Ceremony including: Best Retail Bank - UAE; Best Commercial Bank - UAE; Best Wealth Management - ME; and Banker of the Year 2015 for CEO, Jamal Bin Ghalaita.

The awards recognise the phenomenal growth and stellar performance of the bank during 2015 and the previous years, following the successful completion of its transformation journey. The awards were presented to the bank at a distinguished ceremony held last week in Dubai, attended by senior business leaders from the banking industry.

Commenting on the awards, Jamal Bin Ghalaita, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Islamic said: "This significant recognition validates our reputation as a clear leader in the Islamic banking industry across business lines. With a firm focus on product and service innovation, Emirates Islamic has consistently demonstrated its commitment to advancing excellence in the Islamic banking sector in support of Dubai's aim of becoming the global capital of Islamic economy.

"Industry recognition is a great catalyst as we work to support individuals, entrepreneurs, corporates and SMEs that shape the UAE's economy. Islamic banking has come a long way in the UAE, but there is more work to be done to further the penetration and perception of Islamic banking among UAE customers," said Bin Ghalaita referencing the bank's recently launched ISLAMIC BANKING INDEX by EMIRATES ISLAMIC™, a consumer survey on Islamic Banking in the UAE, which suggests that innovation is among the key drivers of Islamic banking's future success.

"So while the awards we won recognise our significant contribution to Islamic banking, we will not be satisfied until we develop a truly robust Islamic economy in the UAE and set new benchmarks in the banking industry," said Bin Ghalaita.

While discussing his 'Banker of the Year 2015' award, Bin Ghalaita said: "I am honoured by the personal recognition along with the other awards won by Emirates Islamic."

This latest win caps off an outstanding year of recognition for the bank as Emirates Islamic was recently awarded at the 2015 Enterprise Agility Awards by Entrepreneur Middle East magazine. Other awards this year include 'Best Islamic Bank in the UAE' by World Finance magazine for the second time in three years; 'Best Savings Account' and 'Best New SME product' at the Banker Middle East Product Awards 2015; and the Euromoney Award for Innovation in Islamic Finance 2015 for the bank's Nasdaq Dubai Murabaha platform.