Name: Company: |
Ismail Bin Syed Ahmad
General Manager| Singapore/Brunei 46 Singaporean |
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Could you provide a brief journey of how you arrived where you are today? What does your role involve? What is your greatest achievement to date? Which of your products/services deliver the best results? Since 2004, these products have been sold on a selective and targeted basis to Muslim financial institutions in the region. The response has been encouraging, demonstrating that there is a strong demand for such Shariah compliant products. In 2006, OCBC decided to offer the opportunity for other Muslim organizations such as corporates, mosques and non-profit organizations to access such products. What are the strengths of your business? its offering of Islamic banking products and services for various target segments. This is in line with the bank’s aspiration to be the forerunner in developing Shariah compliant products and services for the Islamic segment. Some of the strengths of our business include the ability to develop innovative products and building strong and value-added relationships with our customers. What are the factors contributing to the success of your company? What are the obstacles faced in running your business today? Where do you see the Islamic finance industry, maybe in the next five years? There is an untapped potential for key players in the region to launch a wide range of Islamic financial products, and there are certainly still unexplored opportunities in the region. We believe that there are a lot of opportunities for the whole industry to grow. In the next few years, it is quite likely that the regional financial centres in South-East Asia will place even more emphasis on Islamic finance and introduce more innovative products and services, thereby giving greater breadth and depth to Islamic finance in the region. Name one thing you would like to see change in the world of Islamic finance? OCBC Bank is Singapore’s longest established local bank, with a rich heritage that can be traced as far back as 1912. Today, OCBC is one of the largest financial institutions in the combined Singapore–Malaysia market in terms of its assets, and is also one of Asia’s leading financial services groups. With group assets of more than S$131 billion, it enjoys one of the highest bank credit ratings in the region. With a dominant presence in both the consumer and business banking segments in Singapore and Malaysia, OCBC is the number one player in bancassurance and home loans in Singapore, and ranks among the top players in unit trust distribution, personal credit, small and medium-sized enterprises market and the Singapore dollar capital market. OCBC’s insurance subsidiary, Great Eastern Holdings, is the largest insurance group in Singapore and Malaysia in terms of assets and market share. The asset management subsidiary, Lion Capital Management, is one of the largest asset management companies in South-East Asia. |