Press Release.
The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) finally unveiled the three winning teams of its Digital Banking Challenge, in partnership with Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB), on Monday, November 22nd 2021. The grand finale, held during Bahrain National Week at Dubai Expo 2020, saw the three winning teams awarded for their innovative solutions on NBB’s digital banking App.
The finalists pitched their solutions on demo day to a panel of judges comprised of NBB and BFB members, including Razi Amin, Group Chief Information Officer at NBB, Subah Al Zayani, Chief Executive Retail Banking at NBB, and Suzy Al Zeerah, Chief Partnerships Officer at Bahrain FinTech Bay. The event was moderated by Hisham Abu Alfateh, Head of Corporate Communications at NBB, and saw several speakers from both the bank and Bahrain FinTech Bay taking part.
The winning teams were selected based on the best-proposed solutions for NBB’s digital app. The first-place winners, ‘NBB Tree’, second-place winners, ‘Active Zone’, and third-place winners, ‘Tullab’, will receive cash prizes, internships at the bank and Bahrain Fintech Bay, as well as three months of incubation support from Bahrain FinTech Bay.
NBB’s Digital Challenge saw 7 short-listed teams embarking on a 6-week mentorship track which consisted of a variety of workshops and one-on-one mentorship sessions to impart vocational insights and sector knowledge.
Subah Al Zayani, Chief Executive Retail Banking at NBB, stated: “Curiosity creates success. At NBB, we harness the power of our youth to move effortlessly towards transformation, in line with our strategy to build a digitally-capable workforce within the Kingdom. We foster the curiosity of the Kingdom’s predominant youth segments, such as Gen-Z and millennials, which leads to innovation and ultimately redefines the customer experience. This is what our digital strategy is all about.”
Commenting on the finale, Razi Amin, Group Chief Information Officer at NBB, said: “I would first like to congratulate the winning teams on their achievements, and commend the remaining finalists on their efforts throughout the duration of the programme. Through this challenge, participants were given an opportunity to tap into their creative skills and harness their talents to produce solutions focused on NBB’s digital banking app.
Moving further into this digital age, developing our youth with the necessary tools to carry them into their future career paths is an essential component not only within NBB, but across the Kingdom. We are pleased to have a hand in grooming the next generation of technological innovators, and continue to create opportunities for them to grow and thrive.”
Suzy Al Zeerah, Chief Partnerships Officer at Bahrain FinTech Bay, said: “We are very proud of the winning teams and their contributions to the programme, and particularly pleased that they were able to showcase their skills on a platform of such a scale as the Expo 2020. The success of the challenge serves as a reiteration of our mandate to upskill this generation’s future leaders, alongside realising NBB’s strategy to educate Bahraini youth, as we move towards a more sustainable future.”
NBB is committed to partnering with organisations that will help boost more youth-centric initiatives as part of its purpose to enrich the lives of generations. The bank seeks to nurture a talented workforce that aligns with the Kingdom’s Economic Vision 2030 and cements its standing as a regional and global leader.
