Bahrain bank, Mastercard join forces to develop financial skills

Financial professionals in the Middle East and Africa can now look to the combined instructional power of the Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF) and Mastercard to enhance their skills.

The two industrial giants have teamed up to create an academic and training module to boost the technical performance, leadership qualities, and knowledge of current industry trends for those working in the financial sector.

"This initiative would introduce latest industry-related training courses that will not only be used to train existing staff but bring new talent from Bahrain and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region to the payment sector, giving them new career opportunities in the process," Deen Jayah, BIBF's chief of banking and accounting, said.

The deal with BIBF is part of Mastercard's aim of developing leaders in the financial sector across the Middle East and Africa by investing in skill development.

"We are excited to see our shared efforts in honing intellectual and technical capabilities in Bahrain improve customer satisfaction and effectiveness of financial services," Raghav Prasad, general manager for Mastercard's operations in the gulf region, said. "The collaboration will emerge as an important component in countries looking to boost education and build a knowledge-based economy."