MANAMA: Ahmed Darwish, a Bahraini national, has been appointed as chief executive of BOK International (BOKI), the Bahrain-based Islamic wholesale branch of Sudan’s Bank of Khartoum.
The bank said the appointment is in line with its policy to enhance performance by attracting local talent capable of driving growth.
Mr Darwish joined BOK International in March 2016 as chief financial officer, and achieved various milestones in the past few years, starting out in financial control and later heading and establishing the finance department at the bank’s second international branch in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
He was appointed as the acting chief executive in April 2019.
Mr Darwish has more than 15 years of experience in the banking and investments sectors.
He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA) and holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy.
In November 2015, BOKI was established as Bank of Khartoum’s first international branch in Bahrain.
It is licensed as an Islamic wholesale branch by the Central Bank of Bahrain.
Formed in 1913, Bank of Khartoum is Sudan’s oldest and largest Islamic financial institution, of which, the majority of shareholding comes from GCC financial institutions and individuals from the Middle East.
BOK is the first bank in Sudan to be rated ‘AA-’ (long-term) and ‘A-1’ (short-term) ratings and a ‘Stable’ outlook by Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA).
Sanctions on Sudan were removed in November 2018, however, Bank of Khartoum was delisted from OFAC since April 2011, making it the preferred bank of choice with United Nations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), embassies, corporate and the private sector.
&uuid=(email))