Banking

Muscat | May 25, 2013: In a valuable addition to Bank Sohar’s support of diverse cultural events across the Sultanate, the Bank extended support to the eleventh edition of the popular Muscat Keralotsavam festival in Oman.

Organised by the Kerala Wing of the Indian Social Club, the celebration is one that all Indians in the capital look forward to. The festival was a celebration of the culture and heritage of India and saw attendance of over 40,000 people from across varied backgrounds. Guest of honour at the event was popular Indian actress Shabana Azmi who was present at Marah Land, the venue of the festival.

Muscat | May 25, 2013: In a valuable addition to Bank Sohar’s support of diverse cultural events across the Sultanate, the Bank extended support to the eleventh edition of the popular Muscat Keralotsavam festival in Oman.

Organised by the Kerala Wing of the Indian Social Club, the celebration is one that all Indians in the capital look forward to. The festival was a celebration of the culture and heritage of India and saw attendance of over 40,000 people from across varied backgrounds. Guest of honour at the event was popular Indian actress Shabana Azmi who was present at Marah Land, the venue of the festival.

Thirty ‘high-value’ surprise gifts to be given away at the May draw
Muscat, May 23, 2013: For credit card users with Bank Sohar, the month of May will herald surprises and wins with the first draw of the recently announced credit card campaign from the Bank. The draw will be conducted today at the Bank Sohar Al Qurum Branch, the draw will declare the first thirty winners of the ‘Mystery Sahara’ Credit Card Campaign.
Previewing the prize draw, Mr. R. Narasimhan, DGM & Head-Retail Banking at Bank Sohar said, “Bank Sohar credit cards are very popular among our customers and we wanted to create an opportunity for them to win exciting prizes every month through our ‘Mystery Sahara’ Campaign.  We have seen an exceptional response through increased usage of the Internet, Classic, Gold and Platinum cards and are pleased to see our customers participating in the campaign.”
Offering more value to its customers on its wide range of credit cards, Bank Sohar launched the exciting ‘Mystery Sahara’ campaign whereby 90 lucky customers get the chance to win high value gifts during the promotion period which is three months. For every  purchase of RO 30 or more using Bank Sohar Credit Cards (Internet, Classic, Gold and Platinum), customers are entitled to win a ‘Mystery Sahara gift’ in a monthly raffle draw.  The bank will give away a total of 90 gifts to the lucky winners as part of the promotion, which runs from April 15 to July 15, 2013.
He also added, “We at Bank Sohar are very excited for the three monthly draws to be held within the period of this campaign and are looking forward to handing a variety of lucrative prizes to the lucky customers.”

Standard Chartered’s Titanium MasterCard Credit Card wins ‘Best New Credit Card in the Middle East’ Award

Card provides unprecedented cashback and extensive privileges


Dubai, UAE – 22 May, 2013 – Standard Chartered Bank’s MasterCard Titanium Credit Card won the “Best New Credit Card in the Middle East” award during the Cards Middle East Forum 2013. The Standard Chartered Titanium Credit Card has been recognized for offering first-in-the-market cashback incentives and privileges on the everyday spend of cardholders in the UAE.

The Standard Chartered Titanium MasterCard Credit Card which features Chip and PIN technology provides cardholders with up to 10% cash back on purchases from all supermarkets in the UAE, all utility bill payments and even school fees payments. Cardholders also get up to 50% discount on all movie ticket purchases at VOX Cinemas and various dining outlets in the UAE.

Khalid El Gibaly, Regional Head of Consumer Banking, UAE and Middle East, Standard Chartered, said:

PR Newswire

DUBAI, UAE, May 22, 2013

DUBAI, UAE, May 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

HSBC Middle East has signed an exclusive 10-year agreement with Zurich Insurance Middle East to distribute its personal and commercial General Insurance products in the United Arab Emirates, with other Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets to be considered in the future.

The agreement marks the coming together of two global leaders in their respective fields, and extends HSBC's relationship with Zurich in the region following the 10-year contract signed in April 2012 to exclusively distribute Zurich's Life Insurance products in UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.

Fresh from reports of growing need among UAE residents regarding the protection of their homes, family belongings and valuables, the agreement covers all of Zurich's General Insurance personal product lines, and allows HSBC customers to access Motor, Home Contents and Travel insurance, as well as Zurich's full suite of commercial insurance solutions.

The agreement will help to improve access and distribution of insurance products across the MENA region, which has some of the lowest insurance penetration rates in the world. Even the UAE, which has one of the highest rates in the region, stands at just 1.8% - more than three times lower than Singapore and six times lower than the UK.*

It will also enable HSBC's Retail Banking and Wealth Management (RBWM) business in MENA to build specialist expertise in General Insurance and, together with its Life Insurance expertise, provide a consistent experience to HSBC customers - many of whom already use current account and credit card services.

MUSCAT, 21 May 2013 – Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, has won the ‘Best Mobile Payment Application in the Middle East’ award for its state-of-the-art mBanking mobile services. The prestigious award was received by Tariq Atiq, AGM - Cards & eBanking, at a ceremony held in Dubai as part of the Cards & Payments 2013 Middle East seminar, which is reckoned the largest cards payment and identification event in the Middle East.

Tariq Atiq said:  “Bank Muscat is proud to win the Best Mobile Payment Application in the Middle East award. The bank’s initiative to provide banking services via mobile phones complements the government's efforts in creating a digital society and providing electronic services which spell convenience to customers. Developments linked to eGovernance in Oman is the motivation behind our innovative initiatives. Bank Muscat enjoys an edge in hi-tech products and services, including electronic payment and web-based services, in tune with the banking requirements of a young, tech-savvy generation.”

Tariq Atiq added: “At Bank Muscat, we strive to innovate to provide our customers with unmatched benefits while keeping the focus on their convenience and security. This award is a recognition for the bank as a key innovator in the Middle East region and we are proud of this achievement. mBanking has recorded massive success both in terms of usage and customer adoption since it was launched and we will continue to add exciting elements to this service.”
Soon after its launch in 2012, mBanking won the coveted Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in e-Government in the category of the Best Public Mobile Service. For the first time, the 2012 Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in e-Government was opened for the private sector organisations. A total of 57 projects were presented by 30 governmental and private institutions for the awards. Of the two awards earmarked for the private sector, Bank Muscat won the Best Public Mobile Service Award.

MUSCAT, 20 May 2013 – The 2013 al Mazyona savings scheme offering a prize basket of RO 7 million from Bank Muscat celebrated the first quarterly prize draw in which 10 customers covering all the governorates, including one Priority Banking customer, received RO 50,000 each. The lucky winners who shared the RO 500,000 bonanza
were picked by customers who attended the family event at Muscat Grand Mall. A large turn-out of customers and bank officials were present at the ceremony in which entertainment and fun activities were aimed at educating people on prudent savings habits. Attractive gifts and prizes were distributed to children and winners of spot competitions on the occasion.

Customers maintaining a minimum balance of RO 1000 for 3 months get a chance to win the big prize of RO 50,000 during the quarters ending March, June and September. The longer the saving, higher the chances to win.

Said Al Badai, DGM – Branches, said: “The series of big prizes from Bank Muscat is the major attraction of al Mazyona which offers fair and transparent winning chances for all segments of customers. al Mazyona reaffirms the bank's vision and constant efforts to fulfill the aspirations and ambitions of the largest banking family in Oman. The flagship savings scheme has won the hearts of people and succeeded in linking to various issues benefitting society. The bank attaches great importance to inculcating prudent savings and spending habits and has tailored al Mazyona scheme with this objective in mind.”

Associated with Directorate General of Health Services, North Batinah Region to increase awareness of Immunization

Muscat | May 20, 2013:  Reinforcing their commitment to health related initiatives, Bank Sohar partnered with the Directorate General of Health Services in organising an immunization drive in the North Batinah Region.
Health plays a very important role in the every person's life and the Ministry of Health have been constantly involved in conducting a varied number of events and activities to spread awareness and encourage good health among the people. Bank Sohar partnered with the Directorate General of Health Services in the North Batinah region to raise awareness about the benefits of immunization and how important it is, for the development of children.
“Since the inception of Bank Sohar, we have been active in supporting the initiatives of the Ministry of Health, organised and participated in the events that highlighted the need for healthcare and encouraged a healthy lifestyle,” said Mr. R. Narasimhan, DGM & Head of Retail Banking at Bank Sohar.
He also added, “Immunization protects against several dangerous diseases. A child who is not immunized is more likely to become undernourished or be affected by ailments. The drive saw participation from members of the public as well as Health Sector representatives and was an excellent platform for Bank Sohar to demonstrate our dedication towards the cause.”