As the most important business financial institution in Afghanistan, it could have additionally confirmed troublesome for Azizi Financial institution to concurrently verify the title of greatest business financial institution. But, that’s precisely what this excellent monetary establishment has performed, and has rightfully been awarded that title of 2020’s Finest Industrial Financial institution, Afghanistan on this quarter’s problem of Wealth & Finance Worldwide Journal. Be part of us as we discover out extra about what the financial institution has to supply, what makes it so distinctive, and why it’s deserving of this worldwide recognition.
Azizi Financial institution is the most important business financial institution in Afghanistan, and it has been sustaining that place since its inception in 2006. Being the nation’s largest banking group, there’s a Pan-Afghanistan presence that stretches throughout greater than thirty provinces and a headquartered workplace in Ankara Sq. in Kabul. The work of Azizi Financial institution began with the skilled and entrepreneurial dedication of its founder, Mr Mirwais Azizi of the Azizi Hotak Group & Household and is presently below the management of a younger and dynamic Chief Govt Officer Dr. Prof. Mohammad Salem Omaid. What makes Azizi Financial institution distinctive is the truth that its skilled customer support and the sense of belonging that each shopper and buyer has. Each worker carries with them this sense of welcoming and belonging, and strives to make sure that all interactions with clients are performed so in a method that makes them really feel like they’re part of the household really feel that the financial institution presents. Along with this, there’s a wealth of digital innovation and product excellence on present right here additionally. Azizi Financial institution has invested vital time, cash, and manpower into making certain that each product is designed to swimsuit a shopper requirement, and this dedication distinguishes the financial institution to be probably the most distinctive and superior financial institution throughout Afghanistan.
For nearly fifteen years, Azizi Financial institution has been managed below the governance of a really competent and efficient Board of Supervisors, who brings an unlimited repertoire of information and expertise of their numerous fields, and are internationally acclaimed of their respective work. On the administration stage, there’s a sensible mixture of youth and expertise, which ends up in each innovation and stability throughout the board. At present, Azizi Financial institution has greater than fifteen hundred staff, and with a 15 p.c feminine work power, it’s taking part in a quietly efficient function in ladies’s emancipation and empowerment throughout Afghanistan. Other than Azizi Financial institution, there are one other eleven banks within the nation, together with two banks from Pakistan. The full banking deposit is roughly USD 3.2 billion, with all belongings totalling roughly 5 billion USD.
As a rustic, Afghanistan has witnessed robust financial progress and growing in banking methods when in comparison with the earlier twenty years. Progress within the monetary sector, particularly inside the banking sector itself, was appreciable. Thus, nationwide revenue elevated, and there was huge promotion in most of the different macroeconomic elements, together with trade charges, inflation, steadiness of funds, authorities revenues, funding, worldwide commerce, industrial manufacturing, and employment ranges. Azizi Financial institution has at all times performed a pivotal function in direction of every reform of the Central Financial institution of the nation, and has marked itself out as a pioneering power of monetary inclusion applications and branchless banking. Not too long ago, in a bid to additional bolster these initiatives, Azizi Financial institution has signed an MOU with the Afghan Postal Service to offer branchless banking by means of their greater than 4 hundred and fifty put up places of work overlaying the nation and a few of its most distant areas.
The workforce at Azizi Financial institution can be made up of the bankers of alternative for among the main UN businesses, similar to UNICEF, WHO, and WFP, who’re current and dealing in Afghanistan. Azizi Financial institution is all about enabling these businesses to make their funds and disbursements to the far and rural areas of the nation. Moreover, this excellent financial institution is the one financial institution within the nation to have a cell pockets answer, known as AZIPAY, for every type of funds, together with paying utility payments, training charges, groceries, and airline tickets. There may be even excellence with the extra complete monetary inclusion initiatives, with Azizi Financial institution having transformed one among its subsidiary banks right into a full-fledged Islamic Financial institution within the nation. That is the primary and solely full providers Islamic Financial institution within the nation to this point. With Afghanistan having greater than 99% of its inhabitants being Muslims, such a change will certainly pave the way in which for extra folks coming into the banking fraternity, thereby bettering the monetary inclusion ratio of the nation.
Since its inception, there have been a number of core founding values which have been the focus of the financial institution and its championing of sustained monetary progress in Afghanistan. Azizi Financial institution has at all times believed in improvements, and has by no means stepped again away from investing in modern technological initiatives. The financial institution additionally has the most effective at school administration board and senior administration within the nation, comprising of skilled bankers with an averages of greater than twenty years’ expertise from the USA, India, Pakistan, Africa, and Europe. Azizi Financial institution has additionally at all times believed within the studying and growth initiatives in direction of capability constructing, and have constructed a complete coverage on the identical. These structural reforms have introduced in change inside the financial institution to a big extent, and have at all times made it distinctive in contrast with different peer banks working within the nation.
As has already been conveyed above, Azizi Financial institution prides itself on being a technology-driven again that makes full use of among the newest technological improvements from internationally. With society transferring in direction of extra digitalization than ever earlier than, the shopper’s perceptions have modified on what they will entry and wish from their banking providers. Afghanistan particularly is a rustic the place greater than half of inhabitants has a sensible telephone, and there may be higher alternative for banks to take a position extra into expertise than ever earlier than. Azizi Financial institution has foreseen this chance previous to its opponents and friends, and is now ready the place it could possibly adapt to the ever-changing current and future. One of many methods through which the financial institution has taken the initiative and seized the day relating to modern expertise is by being a outstanding voice on a number of developmental initiatives aimed toward assembly monetary clients’ expectation all throughout Afghanistan.
Offering technologically-savvy providers banking providers is the objective for a lot of establishments, particularly now that the world is transferring in direction of an more and more digital society. With the gradual transition in direction of superior digital banking, there comes a higher want for conventional banks to maintain up with fashionable methods and modern methods of doing issues. Azizi Financial institution has additionally initiated completely different tailored merchandise for each deposits and advances meant for various ranges of society, together with accounts for youngsters, college students, ladies, senior residents, retail companies, small and medium enterprises, and entrepreneurs to call only a few. Regardless of the wealth of innovation on present at Azizi Financial institution, there have additionally been challenges introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The arrival of the pandemic meant that Afghanistan, which is a predominantly import-driven financial system, witnessed a surge in the price of commodities, thereby affected the normalcy of life and customary folks. Industries of all sectors and kinds had been affected, and so was the destiny of the monetary sector as effectively. In essence, the financial system and financial progress of the entire nation took an enormous hit. There was some affect on Azizi Financial institution amidst the pandemic, which has sustained itself nearly a yr and nonetheless counting. With the preliminary lockdown in place for the primary few months of 2020, enterprise was severely hampered, although there was no vital decline for deposits. The place Azizi Financial institution actually was affected was new enterprise. General commerce finance and the restoration of loans has been one other key space affected by the pandemic, though the Central Financial institution of Afghanistan did come out with an in depth restoration plan to help the scenario and get the nation again on its toes as quickly as attainable.
Pandemic or in any other case, Azizi Financial institution did have a strategic marketing strategy in place, in addition to a catastrophe restoration plan contemplating the geography of operation. The financial institution is at all times ready and able to face any form of antagonistic scenario, together with this present disaster. As a financial institution, Azizi Financial institution additionally took steps and made plans even earlier than the federal government made any form of official announcement when it comes to enterprise contingency, employees contingency, and operational contingency initiatives and operations. Azizi Financial institution took quick steps to make sure complete security and stability for itself and its employees, even earlier than the lockdown was introduced. All mediums of communication had been used to achieve employees and the general public, and the financial institution stopped all conferences, conferences, buyer gatherings, and coaching. Within the quick aftermath of the bulletins made by many world governments, together with Afghanistan, Azizi Financial institution fashioned a committee to analyse and make plans to curve this emergency scenario.
Security precautions together with full sanitization, thermal meters, face masks and gloves, and extra had been initiated in any respect the branches for each clients and employees alike, while plans had been additionally made to rotate the employees in order to keep away from shut proximities. Expatriate employees members had been additionally inspired to work at home the place attainable, thereby minimising the danger of transmission and an infection. Armed with these numerous security measures and initiatives, life will finally return to normality for Azizi Financial institution. Nevertheless, with the continuing political uncertainty nonetheless prevailing and worldwide donors reluctant to pump in extra funds, this newest COVID-19 scare will certainly have an effect on the general progress of the Afghanistan financial system. Stability will take time, however Azizi Financial institution will see it by means of.
Outdoors of the monetary work carried out by Azizi Financial institution, there may be additionally a deep-rooted and ever-present dedication to charity work and community-based initiatives. Azizi Financial institution is the one banking establishment in Afghanistan that has a sustained CSR Coverage and Accountable Banking. For the workforce, they take into account CSR as one of the vital vital features of progress, and the establishment additionally helps the vital reason behind the federal government when it comes to sustainability initiatives. Supporting society as an entire is equally vital, and there are an important some ways through which Azizi Financial institution does this too. The financial institution’s involvement on CSR initiatives has made an important affect throughout society and for the model of Azizi Financial institution.
In engaged on these initiatives, the financial institution has been fairly energetic for the final 5 years on numerous initiatives throughout the nation and has due to this fact acquired appreciable quantities of appreciation from the federal government and wider society. From a neighborhood service perspective, Azizi Financial institution has supported a number of hospitals and houses when it comes to offering medicines, important utilities, infrastructure growth, meals supplies, stationeries, and organising blood donation camps. The workforce at Azizi Financial institution have additionally targeted their time on numerous environmentally sustainable and inexperienced initiatives. Working on this space, the financial institution has endeavoured to face out by beginning a inexperienced initiative that concerned planting hundreds of bushes throughout Afghanistan. Alongside this, there are additionally campaigns on saving water and air pollution management, two of probably the most outstanding environmental sustainability points confronted by many everywhere in the world.
Azizi Financial institution has just lately partnered with the Nationwide Environmental Safety Company (NEPA) of the federal government of Afghanistan, and this partnership will certainly result in collaborative work on numerous different initiatives aimed toward growing environmental sustainability. Lastly, the final core space that Azizi Financial institution works in exterior of its personal 4 partitions is that of neighborhood help. Azizi Financial institution has at all times sought to offer free coaching periods to native school graduates and administration college students alike, with subjects starting from banking and finance, to the internal workings of an financial system, and way more. While this can be a neighborhood help initiative aimed toward giving finance college students the absolute best information round, it additionally doubles as the proper recruitment alternative. {Qualifications} is one factor, however Azizi Financial institution additionally encourages recent graduates to push their technique to the forefront of the trade and make an impression with their dedication and dedication to understanding finance.
In the end, Azizi Financial institution is way over simply an distinctive institute of finance. Relatively, it every part a rustic might probably need from a financial institution that seeks to be modern, be a unifying power that invests sooner or later, and delivers excellent monetary providers to everybody within the nation. Azizi Financial institution is consistently redefining its personal success, and is totally deserving of this newest success from Wealth & Finance Worldwide Journal as being acknowledged as 2020’s Finest Industrial Financial institution in Afghanistan.
Few Phrases concerning the financial institution’s CEO – Dr. Prof. Mohammad Salem Omaid
A outcome oriented proficient beginning his skilled journey with Azizi Financial institution in 2006 as a Finance Officer and efficiently ascending the steps to change into the President and CEO. In his profession span of greater than 14 years, Dr. Omaid dealt with numerous roles having wealthy & in depth expertise in Finance & Accounting, Company Accounts Commerce Finance, Company Credit score Financing, Operational Banking, Funding Banking and Retail Banking. Initiated a number of measures, Financial institution Merchandise, Technological merchandise aimed toward selling the financial institution and its goals. Dr. Omaid’s contribution in direction of refining the banking construction within the nation earned him appreciations & accolades not solely from the Govt. & Public physique inside the nation but in addition from the worldwide businesses worldwide.
Dr. Omaid’s expertise and information for a sustainable progress earned him a number of worldwide accreditations and he’s additionally the one afghan conferred with the honorary professorship of Teachers, Oxford. He’s additionally the Member of the Europe Enterprise Meeting, UK, The World Confederation of Companies, USA and an energetic member of BAFT, USA. He’s additionally related to the ICC, Banking Fee, Afghanistan and is the Chairman of the Afghanistan Banks Affiliation.
He’s additionally the recipient of the Asian Banker “Younger Banker” Award in 2017, being the one one from the Central Asian Area until date. In 2020, Dr. Omaid is conferred with the Skilled Doctorate by the European Worldwide College, Paris for his endurance, dedication and management in shaping a financial institution in Afghanistan as per worldwide requirements.
A visionary chief and a extremely revered citizen within the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
For extra data, please contact Samrat Dutta at www.azizibank.af
