Bank of Palestine celebrated the opening of its new branch in the neighborhood of Al Tireh in Ramallah and Al Bireh, reaching a total of 72 offices and branches part of its banking network in Palestine. The opening ceremony was held under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Azzam Shawwa, the Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority, in the presence of Mr. Hashim Al Shawa, the Chairman of Bank of Palestine Group, along with several members from the bank's board of directors, Dr. Laila Ghannam, the Governor of Ramallah and Al Bireh, Mr. Khalil Rizek, the President of the Federation of Palestinian Chambers of Commerce, the President of the Ramallah and Al Bireh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Eng. Mousa Hadid, the Mayor of Ramallah, Dr. Atef Alawneh, the Chairman of the Islamic Arab Bank, Rushdi Ghalayini, the Director General of Bank of Palestine, Hani Nasser, the Director General of the Islamic Arab Bank, and several officials, economists, businessmen and journalists.
Mr. Hashim Al Shawa greeted the guests and addressed the bank's perseverance to continue to achieve its goals and message by contributing to the promotion of the Palestinian economy through the provision of comprehensive and distinguished banking services that respond to the needs of our society and its various sectors. Al Shawa also referred to the bank's many and different activities that aim to achieve the highest degree of financial inclusion in Palestine and extend banking services to reach all of Palestine. He stated that during the last period, the bank worked on promoting the concept of financial inclusion by focusing on children, youth and women, through the launch of several new programs and banking services that respond to different needs. Among the initiatives created for this purpose, and are in line with the strategy and vision of Bank of Palestine and the Palestine Monetary Authority, include the launch of the largest and most comprehensive banking program for women in Palestine entitled "Felestineya," which seeks to empower women financially and promote their economic and social participation. Another program, entitled "Baraem," is directed towards children and aims to promote their understanding and awareness about banking at a young age.
Al Shawa also talked about the preparation of the first play area for children at the new branch in Al Tireh, and said that the bank will set up similar areas in all its main branches by the end of the year in harmony with its financial inclusion strategy.
According to Al Shawa, electronic services have been witnessing extensive development and have now become competitive with similar services provided by global banks. The Banki mobile application for example, allows citizens and clients to conduct their banking transactions using their smart phones in a safe and easy manner. Also, internet banking and other electronic services have been developed by Palestinian experts through PalPay, which is a Bank of Palestine Group company that has been operating since 2010.
Despite the difficult circumstances confronted by Palestine, the bank worked diligently to implement its expansion and development plans, whereby it managed to open representative office abroad: the first was the Bank of Palestine office at the Dubai Financial Center in the United Arab Emirates, and the second was in Santiago, Chile. Both offices work on connecting Palestinians from the diaspora communities with Palestinians at home and encourage them to invest in Palestine. With these expansions and developments on the ground, Bank of Palestine recently opened a branch in Dahyet Al Bareed in Jerusalem to provide banking services to citizens residing in the Holy City.
His Excellency Azzam Shawwa, the Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority, congratulated Bank of Palestine on the opening of its new office, and praised the existence of a play area especially designated for children. He stressed that such efforts are conducted in harmony with the strategy of the Palestine Monetary Authority and the banking system to promote financial inclusion and achieve it at the highest levels, including raising the awareness of children about banking services and the financial sector.
The Governor also added that the opening of Al Tureh branch in the governorate of Ramallah is a continuation of the approach and strategy of the Palestine Monetary Authority to promote the expansion and development of bank branches and offices in all areas, and additional efforts are being conducted by the banking sector in this field. The Governor praised the energy of Bank of Palestine and the diversity of products it offers. He also applauded the bank's achievement of substantial growth through the provision of various services and its existence in all Palestinian governorates, including the country side and remote areas, as well as its effective contributions in the field of corporate social responsibility that especially target women, education, health, the environment, poverty alleviation, culture and the arts.
The Governor also pointed out to the Union Golden Medal of Achievement, which was given to him by the Union of Arab Banks at the Arab Banks Conference 2018, which was held in Cairo, Egypt las month. The Governor considers this award an honor for Palestine and the benevolent Palestinian people, as well as an honor to Palestinian institutions, especially the Palestine Monetary Authority and the banking system, which compete with their global counterparts on the levels of professionality, efficiency and advancement.
Dr. Laila Ghannam, the Governor of Ramallah and Al Bireh, also praised the efforts conducted by the bank through its activities, expansion and endeavors to support the local community, as well as the important role it plays in economic and social development. Ghannam pointed out that the bank has become one of the governorate's most important partners, especially following its recent initiative to build a new department for kidney dialysis at the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, which is considered a great national accomplishment at the institutional and individual levels.
Eng. Mousa Hadid, the Mayor of Ramallah, commended the efforts conducted by Bank of Palestine in continuous cooperation with the Ramallah Municipality. He added that an institution such as Bank of Palestine that is able to work under such difficult circumstances, provide services and expand its branches and operations is considered a successful one. Hadid congratulated the bank on the opening of the new office and wished it the best of luck.