MANAMA, BAHRAIN – 9 April 2019 – Ithmaar Bank, a Bahrain-based Islamic retail bank, has launched a pioneering new employee training and compliance programme initiative aimed at bolstering compliance with regulatory rules and guidelines across the organisation. The Compliance Champions programme will see 48 members of staff from different departments undergo in-house training sessions alongside customised courses.
The objective of the programme is to train employees from outside the
Compliance department to become Compliance Champions and serve as the first line of compliance support on the ground. Once sufficiently trained, the Compliance Champions will be able to respond to compliance matters and alert the Compliance and Anti Money Laundering (AML) Department of any issues that need to be escalated.

“Compliance is a cornerstone of the banking industry and a prerequisite for delivering quality service to clients, said Ithmaar Bank Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Abdul Rahim. “At Ithmaar Bank, we take our regulatory and compliance obligations extremely seriously and consistently work to maintain the highest standards of governance. The Compliance Champions programme reaffirms our commitment to operating within a robust framework that supports our compliance with applicable rules and regulations as well as our strong ethical principles,” he said.
“The programme is in line with our ongoing efforts to further develop the expertise of our staff, which creates tangible value for the bank and its customers. Moreover, it will help our team members to build their skills and realise their full potential,” said Abdul Rahim. “Maintaining a strong compliance culture is a shared responsibility among all Ithmaar Bank employees. Through this programme, I am confident we can highlight the important role compliance plays in our day-to-day operations while setting an example for other banks to follow,” he said.

Representatives from the bank’s Compliance and AML department will conduct in-house sessions while other customized courses will be provided by external training providers.