On Tuesday 18/10/2016, Bank of Palestine celebrated the inauguration of its new sub-branch in Al-Thahiriya, south of Hebron governorate. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Hani Naser, Bank of Palestine’s Assistant General Manager, Mr. Marwan Sultan, Deputy Governor of Hebron Governorate, Mr. Akram Abu Allan, Mayor of Al-Thahiriya Municipality, Dr. Jalal Makharzeh, Chairman of South Hebron’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Mustafa Abu Salah, representative of Palestine Monetary Authority, and with the participation of the city’s residents, and representatives of official institutions and the private sector.
With the inauguration of its new sub-branch in Al-Thahiriya, Bank of Palestine’s network now includes 66 branches and sub-branches distributed across the country, and equipped with full financial and banking services, to reach the public and customers with high quality and outstanding performance.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Hani Naser welcomed the attendees. He expressed his contentment for this occasion and his pride in the presence of the Bank in Al-Thahiriya to serve the city’s residents and its national and economic institutions. He indicated that the Bank’s network now includes 66 branches and sub-branches that serve more than 700 thousand customers.
Mr. Naser presented an overview of Bank of Palestine’s journey, which was founded in 1960, indicating that despite the political and economic challenges that our country went through, the Bank continued to advance its business by enhancing its various services and programs, which contributes to the development of the Palestinian banking sector. He indicated that the most prominent developments achieved by the Bank in the past period include the establishment of an exclusive unit to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, due to their effective role in strengthening our national economy and creating new job opportunities for recent graduates, in which the Bank allocated USD200 million to finance these enterprises. In addition, the Bank enhanced its electronic services, as the Bank launched various electronic programs to facilitate the banking transactions for customers through their smart phones, in an easy and secure manner. Additionally, the Bank launched a package of electronic services through its website, which enables customers to pay their bills and add credit to their cell phone balance. Such developments are under the framework of advancing the facilitation services for customers to conduct their daily transactions in an easy and secure manner.
Mr. Naser added that Al- Thahiriya received considerable attention by Bank of Palestine and its management, as the city includes the third largest residential population in Hebron governorate, and links our people on both sides of the green line, which makes it a major commercial center that includes more than one thousand commercial establishments and a market that meets the needs of its visitors. Accordingly, Bank of Palestine decided to invest by opening a sub-branch that provides various services that meet the needs of the city, its residents, and its economic and official components.
Mr. Akram Abu Allan welcomed the presence of Bank of Palestine in Al-Thahiriya. He praised the Bank’s journey since its establishment. Mr. Abu Allan indicated that since its establishment, the municipality worked towards strengthening the presence of the city and developing its services in all aspects of life. He also indicated to the importance of providing the elements of growth and development through the collaboration of all national institutions in order to provide their services to the residents of the city.
Mr. Marwan Sultan commended Bank of Palestine’s efforts towards stimulating the national economy and its social contributions in various fields. He indicated that the Palestinian economy is going through extremely difficult conditions, and is in need for the unity of all institutions and the private sector to overcome this dark tunnel. He added that Bank of Palestine is a leading institution in the development field, noting that Al-Thahiriya is a distinctive city with its unique markets and strategic geographical location.
Mr. Mustafa Abu Salah from Palestine Monetary Authority, welcomed the inauguration of Bank of Palestine sub-branch in Al-Thahiriya. He expressed his hope that this inauguration is a step towards strengthening the role of Palestinian banks in the economic development. He confirmed that Palestine Monetary Authority does not hesitate to provide support and guidance to all Palestinian banks, in order to ensure the growth of their developmental role. Mr. Abu Salah presented Bank of Palestine’s achievements and the distinctive growth indicators over the past period. He also discussed Palestine Monetary Authority’s efforts towards the advancement of the Palestinian bank’s and towards strengthening the ability to manage risk in order to ensure the safety of the banking sector, public funds and the customers’ rights.
Dr. Jalal Makharzeh discussed the importance of Al-Thahiriya’s geographical location, which serves as a link between the West Bank and the cities south of Palestine, most prominently the Negev. He added the city is also distinctive due to its urban diversity with a rural, desert and city combination. In addition to the developments it receives including services, infrastructure and others. He indicated to the importance of strengthening the standards of services and the presence of the institutions to increase their investments in Al-Thahiriya. He welcomed the presence of Bank of Palestine, the first national Bank, in Al-Thahiriya.