The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) announced the top 8 shortlisted teams participating in the NBB Digital Banking Challenge, held in partnership with Bahrain Fintech Bay (BFB). The NBB Digital Banking Bootcamp was held on September and welcomed participants at BFB’s co-working offices.

As part of NBB’s ongoing strategy to enrich the lives of generations, the challenge contributed meaningfully to developing and enhancing the participants’ skillsets across various fields to prepare them for potential future positions within the labour market.

The Bootcamp held panel sessions led by members of several departments from both NBB and BFB. The speakers from NBB included Razi Amin, Group Chief Information Officer, Hisham Abu AlFateh, Head of Corporate Communications, Omar Al Adhami, Head of Retail Digital Banking, Ali Ghuloom, Head of Digitization & Projects Management, Ahmed Al Maskati, Head of Retail Product, Abdulla Buali, Head of Project Management, Maram Buallay, HR Senior Manager, Nada Ishaq, Retail Marketing Manager, Muneera Ahmed, Strategy Manager, Amgad Sami, Customer Loyalty Manager, Reem Taqi, Rewards & Value Proposition Specialist, and Maarten Van Truijen, Backbase Delivery Director – Middle East & Africa.

The speakers discussed a range of topics covering strategy and digital banking, transformation, rewards and customer loyalty, with an introduction to Backbase and the digital platform, as well as project management, product development and marketing and communications.

Participants were given the opportunity to meet their team members and learn more about the challenge, understanding the different aspects of the NBB Digital Banking App and the different possibilities to develop it. The 25 teams each submitted a video that demonstrated their initial solutions for the app, with the top 8 teams advancing onto the next phase of the programme. The final winning team, to be selected in the second phase of the programme taking place in November, will receive cash prizes and 3-month incubation at Bahrain FinTech Bay.

Commenting on the challenge, Razi Amin, Group Chief Information Officer at NBB, said: “We are extremely pleased with the ongoing progress of our Digital Banking Challenge and commend the hard work and efforts of all the participants and staff involved in bringing this project to life. As we move further into a digital age, it is important for us to hone this young generation’s skills so that they may be able to capitalise on future opportunities and succeed within their sectors of choice.”

On his end, Omar Adhami, Head of Retail Digital Banking, said: “We’d like to congratulate the shortlisted teams who will move on to the next phase of the programme. Through this challenge, participants were able to gain first-hand experience by working on innovative solutions for the NBB Banking App to further enhance the customer experience. They had the opportunity to challenge themselves, producing quality results, and positioning NBB as a leader in nurturing our young generations’ talents and skills.”

Suzy Al Zeerah, Chief Partnerships Officer of Bahrain FinTech Bay, stated: “It was a pleasure to partner with our founding partner, the National Bank of Bahrain, to bring this challenge to the Bahraini youth. We are proud of all the participants who worked hard throughout the Bootcamp.”

Chief Operating Officer of Bahrain FinTech Bay, Bader Sater, shared his statement: “I extend my congratulations to the short-listed teams and look forward to working with them on their journey ahead. We are excited to be working with such a dynamic group of young individuals that represent universities from across Bahrain.”

NBB continues to invest in the young people of tomorrow as they constitute the backbone of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030. The bank remains committed to the Kingdom’s broader national vision, to evolving the industry and enriching the lives of generations.