Egypt is considered to have a high level of technological innovation, and the UAE is a leading country in the field, said CEO of the Emirati Union National Bank (UNB) and Vice Chairman of the board of directors of UNB-Egypt, Mohamed Nasr Abdeen.
UNB is taking part in the third annual session of the Middle East Banking Forum held by the UAE Banks Federation on 16 November, in cooperation with the Financial Times Live (FT Live) and The Banker, and sponsored by Daily News Egypt.
The forum is entitled “Leaders of Innovation” and will tackle many issues, including the importance of innovative thinking in management development, the growing role of digital banking services and social media, innovation programmes to support emerging companies, the latest risks the global banking sector is facing, e-security, and the latest services and products of the banking sector.
In his interview with Daily News Egypt, Abdeen said the forum is considered a continuation of the successful series of conferences held by the UAE in various sectors, including those concerned with innovation and creativity.
He noted that the UAE is one of the leading countries in the field and has made great strides in this matter, adding that Egypt is also one of the most prominent countries in regards of technological innovation and rapid developments in the use of technology.
Abdeen noted that UNB entered the Egyptian market almost nine years ago with the goal of bringing about a qualitative leap and contributions to the development of banking. The bank still has the same goal and has already made great strides towards realising it.
He added that when UNB-Emirates acquired the Alexandria Commercial and Maritime Bank in 2006, the bank did not have any technology, not even one ATM. Now the bank has the latest IT system in the Egyptian market.
UNB-Egypt recently acquired the Integrated Management System Certificate (IMS) from Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA). The certificate is composed of three parts which are: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001.
UNB is the first bank in Egypt that managed to obtain this certificate. It is concerned with offering banking services and products to different institutional sectors, as well as individuals, including internal and external banking operations as well as treasury, investment, and wealth management, according to Abdeen.
He added that the bank’s gaining of this certificate will encourage banks working in the Egyptian market to compete for it, noting that the bank is always seeking to be the best, not the largest.
“Although the bank’s obtaining of different international certificates is considered an achievement compared to other banks around the world, despite its small size, I believe that the path is still long before the bank in Egypt in order to achieve the excellence and quality, as is the case with the parent bank in UAE,” said Abdeen.
“We are always committed to the highest standards of quality in terms of our performance, and all the awards the bank gained prove our commitment,” he added.
Abdeen noted that UNB is a model of innovation and excellence because it pays constant attention to its clients and provides them with high-quality financial services.
He stressed that the bank is committed to maintaining the quality of the services offered to its clients, and constantly seeks to develop them.
Last October, Abdeen obtained the International Award of Excellence from the European Business Association in France, in recognition of the bank’s effective management and its stable growth rates.
The award recognises the bank’s improving performance over the years and the way it managed to offer innovative services to clients. It also recognises its commitment to the highest standards of quality offered to clients.
Abdeen explained that the bank has an integrated quality policy as its fundamental approach. This policy paid off when the bank became number one in the UAE and obtained the ISO Quality Award from LRQA, in addition to a number of awards from a number of national, regional and international institutions.
