Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited hosted the first of its kind Webinar on the Launch of Al Baraka Group (ABG) Inter-Franchise Collaboration and portal between Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited (ABPL) and Al Baraka Bank South Africa (ABL SA). This Collaboration was a high priority deliverable for the banks new business strategy aimed at enhancing exports from Pakistan by providing interconnectivity and banking facilitation from ABG offices worldwide.
The Webinar focused on connecting Exporters from Pakistan to Importers in South Africa to increase avenues of trade between the two countries. In Pakistan, a physical gathering was held at the Marriott Hotel in Karachi where 40 Top business groups were invited and about 25 participants from Lahore, Multan, Sialkot and other cities joined via Zoom. In South Africa the importers were hosted in three locations, namely Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Focus was on sectors such as Textiles, Pharmaceuticals, Rice, Spices, Sports, Surgical Goods, Confectionery, Cutlery, and Carpets. Top names from the business community were present who shared a very positive outlook of the outcome of this webinar.
Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited also introduced, at their Webinar, a closed end Digital Portal with information about all participants of the webinar including Group/Company Profile, contact and product details. Objective of this portal is to create a digital platform for B2B Introduction & Connectivity.
Mr. Houssem Ben Haj Amor – Chief Executive Officer of Al Baraka Group chaired the Webinar from Bahrain via Zoom and also announced that there will be similar collaborations between Pakistan and 10 other countries. Dignitaries which included Dr Ishrat Hussain – Former Governor State Bank of Pakistan and Mr. Akhtar Jawaid – Executive Director Banking Policy – State Bank of Pakistan were present at the Karachi event and congratulated the Bank on such an initiative which is crucial in these times. The High Commissioner of South Africa in Pakistan – His Excellency Mr. Mthuthuzeli Madikiza also joined the webinar via zoom and High Commissioner of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in South Africa His Excellency Mr. Aftab Hasan Khan also graced the event from South Africa.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Muhammad Atif Hanif, Chief Executive Officer of Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited, said, “This initiative is highly important for supporting Pakistan’s Foreign Exchange inflows during these highly critical times. We are optimistic that the Launch of this program shall Insha’Allah lead to new possibilities and synergies for expanding outreach and diversifying Pakistan’s export markets.
Future Plans:
Speaking about Future plans, Mr. Muhammad Atif Hanif, CEO of the bank also said “We plan to Insha’Allah replicate this with other subsidiaries of Al Baraka Group in Bahrain, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan and Tunisia. Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited looks forward to new possibilities and synergies to provide avenues for enhancing and diversifying export markets for Pakistan. An initiative that is highly important for supporting Pakistan’s foreign exchange inflows during these highly critical times”.