Al Baraka Group: Empowering customers through trade finance platform and diversified network
Recently, the Group successfully organized two events under its Joint Trade Finance Collaboration Program among its banking units. The first session brought together exporters and importers from its units in Turkey and Algeria, while the second gathered counterparts from Egypt and South Africa. Senior leaders and trade experts from both sides participated in these bilateral sessions, offering a platform to discuss mutual opportunities and explore new areas of trade collaboration. These sessions enabled Al Baraka's clients across these markets to access new partners and diversified trade opportunities, supporting their business expansion and enhancing cross-border trade activities.
In parallel, the Group held its second annual Trade Finance Units Meeting in Tunisia last May, with the participation of unit heads and executive management representatives from across its various units. This important gathering served as a key milestone to review the Group's strong performance achieved in 2024, the first full year of activating the Group's Joint Trade Finance Collaboration Program.
The meeting agenda focused on several key topics, all aimed at maximizing customer value and enhancing operational integration across the Group, and elevating services that deliver direct added value to clients. These included:
A review of joint transactions successfully executed during the year. Discussing opportunities to enhance operational processes to boost efficiency and speed of trade transactions execution. Presenting the latest updates on the Group's unified Trade Finance Platform's technical enhancements, offering seamless and flexible connectivity across units. Exploring ways to further elevate the client experience and provide fast, diversified financing solutions.
On this occasion, Mr. Houssem Ben Haj Amor, Group Chief Executive Officer of Al Baraka Group, commented:
'These collective efforts reflect Al Baraka Group's vision of transforming its diverse network into an integrated platform that enables clients to seamlessly access multiple markets, benefit from diversified and flexible financing solutions, and leverage the Group's shared expertise and unified services to drive competitiveness and business growth.'
'Al Baraka Group remains fully committed to serving as a key enabler for businesses, exporters, and importers across its markets, offering advanced solutions and an integrated support network that aligns with our clients' ambitions for expansion and growth in new markets.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
26-06-2025
- Daily Tribune
Cash prizes for 50 winners totalling BD 14,000 Al Baraka Islamic Bank launches
Al Baraka Islamic Bank Bahrain, one of the leading Islamic banks in the Kingdom of Bahrain, has announced the launch of its new summer promotional campaign for credit cardholders. Running until 20 October, 2025, the campaign features three grand draws offering generous prizes to 50 winners with cash prizes totalling BD 14,000, in addition to 200,000 loyalty points. Customers participating in this exciting campaign will have the chance to win cash prizes and reward points when using their credit cards locally, internationally, or online for a minimum sum of BD300 for local transactions, and BD700 for international or online transactions in foreign currencies excluding Euro. The summer promotional campaign includes cash prizes totalling BD 14,000 for 50 winners, in addition to 200,000 reward points distributed to eligible customers based on their local and international credit card spending. Customers are automatically entered into the draw upon achieving the minimum qualifying spending amount, with one entry for every BD50 spent during the campaign period. Customers who meet all eligibility criteria will also qualify to enter the three draws and win each, giving them a chance to triple their wins during the campaign period. Mr. Mazin Dhaif, Chief Retail Officer at Al Baraka Islamic Bank, stated, 'At Al Baraka Islamic Bank, we provide real value to our customers through innovative programs and initiatives that meet their daily needs and offer greater rewards. Our summer credit card campaign is part of this commitment, offering a distinct mix of cash prizes and loyalty points to enhance the customer experience and support their financial goals.' It is important to note that Al Baraka Islamic Bank's credit cards are fully Shari'a-compliant and come with numerous exclusive benefits. These include no salary transfer requirement, no annual fees, and the Al Baraka Rewards Program, which allows points to be redeemed for global travel and accommodation offers, free access to airport lounges worldwide, and other unique perks.
Gulf Insider
26-06-2025
- Gulf Insider
Qatar Airways CEO Reveals Details Behind Travel Recovery
Qatar Airways successfully restored its global flight operations within 18 hours after an unprecedented shutdown of Qatari airspace on June 23, following a missile attack near Al Udeid Air Base. The escalation, which temporarily halted all departures from Doha and forced over 90 inbound flights to divert mid-air, led to widespread travel disruption. In an open letter to passengers, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Group Chief Executive Officer, has explained how the airline recovered from the disruption and co-ordinated a travel operation with tens of thousands of passengers. Al Meer said flights were redirected to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, Oman and the UAE, while thousands of passengers were put up in hotel rooms and more than 35,000meals were served to stranded people. See the full letter from Badr Mohammed Al Meer below. 151 flights disrupted globally 20,000+ passengers diverted mid-air 90+ flights en route to Doha at the time of airspace closure 25 flights diverted to Saudi Arabia 18 flights diverted to Turkey 15 flights diverted to India 13 flights diverted to Oman 5 flights diverted to the UAE 10,000+ passengers already in transit inside Hamad International Airport 35,000+ meals distributed to stranded travellers 4,600+ passengers provided with hotel accommodation 3,200 hotel rooms secured across Doha 390 flights operated on 24 June during recovery 578 scheduled flights resumed by 25 June 22,000+ passengers in Doha transit at 05:00 on 24 June 11,000+ passengers resumed travel by morning wave on 24 June All 20,000 diverted passengers rebooked and cleared within 24 hours 18 hours to resume full operations across the network 'To all our passengers who place their trust in Qatar Airways, 'This week brought an operational crisis few airlines will ever encounter, and one that challenged the very core of what it means to run a global airline. 'At around 6pm local time on Monday, June 23, an unexpected and unprecedented closure of Qatari airspace forced Qatar Airways to suspend global operations with immediate effect. 'Shortly after, airspace was also closed in Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait. Hamad International Airport, one of the world's busiest and most connected global hubs, was brought to a standstill, with almost 100 aircraft en route to Doha, several already on approach to our runways, and others lining up for departure. 'In the moments that followed, a missile attack was launched from Iran on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. As missiles entered the skies above Qatar, air defence systems were activated and the State of Qatar's Armed Forces took swift, decisive action to protect its people, defend its territory, and ensure the safety of everyone within its borders. 'At the time, over 90 Qatar Airways flights carrying more than 20,000 passengers to Doha, were forced to divert immediately. '25 flights diverted into airports across Saudi Arabia, 18 into Turkey, 15 into India, 13 into Oman, and 5 into the United Arab Emirates. 'The remaining aircraft were re-routed to major hubs including London, Barcelona, and others across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Group Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways 'All departures from Doha were suspended until 12.01am on June 24 at the earliest. Our routine, seamlessly synchronised global operation was, in an instant, scattered into dozens and dozens of disrupted flight scenarios across continents, each with their own complexities and requirements. 'Inside Hamad International Airport, over 10,000 passengers were already in transit, expecting to depart when the escalation occurred. They found themselves caught in the middle of one of the most severe and complex operational challenges in modern aviation history. 'Around the world, some of our flight crews had timed out of legal operating hours. Most of our fleet, including A380s carrying more than 450 passengers each, were now out of position, some grounded at airports with curfews. 'Several flights had to wait for clearance to re-enter restricted regional airspace. Aircraft routing plans were rewritten in parallel with passenger itineraries. Over 151 flights were immediately disrupted. Every part of the operation had to adapt in real time — without precedent, and without pause. 'The priority for us was clear: to care for our passengers impacted by the unprecedented situation that continued to unfold, and to restore our global operations as safely and swiftly as possible. 'Once airspace reopened shortly after midnight on Tuesday, June 24, diverted aircraft began returning to our Doha hub over the course of several hours — each arrival a step towards reassembling our operation. 'As these aircraft and their passengers disembarked at Hamad International Airport, the number of passengers in transit surged to over 22,000 by 5am local time. 'As an airline, our business continuity plans were activated, and our teams coordinated on hard resource planning, catering, ground transport, hotel accommodation, and real-time alignment with passenger movements, immigration, customs, and every airport stakeholder. Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar 'Over 4,600 customers were provided hotel accommodation, using approximately 3,200 rooms across Doha. 'Many of these passengers received onward boarding passes for their rescheduled flights before even leaving the terminal — allowing for a smoother re-entry once our operations resumed. 'Teams from across the airline group stepped into transit areas to assist passengers directly, rebooking journeys, prioritising medical cases, supporting families and elderly travellers, and manually rebuilding complex travel itineraries, some involving other airlines, and expired visas. 'Over 35,000 meals were distributed, and water, comfort kits, and reassurance were offered face to face, flight by flight. 'We increased capacity to destinations with high volumes of displaced passengers. Contact centre resources were scaled up to cope with global demand. We quickly established a flexible travel policy, allowing passengers who had not yet started their journeys to make changes or refund their bookings without fees. 'Across our global stations, ground handlers and partners moved quickly, supported by live coordination between our airport and airline operations control centres. 'A severe geopolitical escalation had forced the shutdown of our global hub, but our focus was to stay agile, adapt, and continue to deliver for our passengers. 'By Tuesday, June 24, Qatar Airways operated a total of 390 flights as we worked to rebuild our network and restore schedule integrity. 'All passengers from diverted flights — approximately 20,000 in total — were cleared within 24 hours. More than 11,000 resumed their journeys during the morning wave on June 24, with the remainder departing through the evening wave and morning bank on June 25. 'As of today, there are no passengers from diverted flights left stranded. Within just 18 hours, our scheduled operations had resumed. Wave by wave, the system began to stabilise. By the end of Tuesday, more than 58,000 passengers had departed Doha — moved not by chance, but by a coordinated effort from across the Qatar Airways Group to fulfil our responsibility during this unprecedented disruption. Today, June 25, our operation has stabilised even further, with 578 scheduled flights operating. 'This scale and speed of recovery reflects the depth of experience, planning, and commitment we're proud to uphold at Qatar Airways. 'To everyone who travelled with us during this difficult time — to those who waited patiently in long queues, to those who faced uncertainty, and to those who showed understanding in the face of a worrying and rapidly-evolving crisis — I thank you. 'We are deeply grateful for your patience and trust as we worked to take you to your destination as safely and smoothly as possible. 'My sincere appreciation goes to our teams across the airline, and to our partners around the world, for their immense efforts around the clock over the past few days. Faced with an extraordinary challenge, we came together to support our passengers, recover our network, and return our operations to normal. 'The professionalism and unity on display reflect the very best of what our airline group and our partners stand for. 'Millions place their trust in Qatar Airways to carry them across borders, continents, and time zones, — and that trust is not taken lightly. It is earned, through action, through responsibility, and a readiness to act when it matters most. 'Thank you for continuing to place that trust in us'. Also read: Boeing Wins Largest-ever Order From Qatar Airways: Trump
Daily Tribune
23-06-2025
- Daily Tribune
From Bahrain to Africa: Inside Al Baraka's Digital Silk Road
TDT | Manama Bilateral Trade Sessions Expand Reach • New cross-border link formed • MENA-Africa firms connect • Platform boosts SME trade A new trade corridor is taking shape between Africa and the Middle East — digitally powered, Sharia-compliant, and anchored in Bahrain. Al Baraka Group, one of the region's most widespread Islamic banking networks, has launched a platform-driven push to unify its banking units across continents under a common trade finance system. The initiative, described by industry experts as a 'Digital Silk Road', gained momentum recently with two major bilateral sessions hosted by Al Baraka. The first connected exporters and importers in Turkey and Algeria, while the second linked businesses in Egypt and South Africa — signalling the group's intent to bridge Africa and MENA markets through seamless financing. Bridging Regions By pairing clients from its 12 operational markets, Al Baraka's trade programme is not just facilitating business, it is redrawing the commercial landscape. Since the programme's launch, executives have reviewed performance, discussed faster operational workflows, and mapped out new tech upgrades between Islamic economies. Senior trade experts, executive teams, and business owners came together during these sessions to explore new partnerships and routes for expansion. Simultaneously, the group held its second annual Trade Finance Units Meeting in Tunisia, marking the first full year of coordinated efforts. Powering Through Platforms A centrepiece of the initiative is Al Baraka's unified Trade Finance Platform, which has undergone major enhancements to allow for: Faster transaction execution Simplified client onboarding Multi-country coordination The result is a digital-first, bank-integrated solution designed to serve businesses across diverse markets without the friction of conventional banking silos. 'These collective efforts reflect Al Baraka Group's vision of transforming its diverse network into an integrated platform that enables clients to seamlessly access multiple markets,' said Group CEO Houssem Ben Haj Amor. He noted that the group's strength lies in offering 'diversified and flexible financing solutions' to support business competitiveness. 'We offer advanced solutions and an integrated support network that aligns with our clients' ambitions for expansion and growth in new markets,' added Mr Ben Haj Amor. Path to Expansion From Istanbul to Cape Town, Al Baraka's model centres on trade enablement, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking to break into regional supply chains. The group's latest sessions have been widely welcomed by clients seeking reliable trade partners and faster access to finance. As digital Islamic trade finance accelerates across the Global South, Al Baraka's platform positions Bahrain as a node of influence — linking continents, capital, and clients on a new, ethical trade path.
