BE - September 2026

Arab Banks Awards & Commendations of Excellence 2026 ognizes achievement, honors leader- ship and learns from successful ex- perience. He then paid tribute to several distinguished honorees, in- cluding H.E. Ahmed Osman Ali, Governor of the Central Bank of Dji- bouti; Mr. Abdelrazak Mohamed El Housh, Chairman of the Libyan Banks Union and General Manager of First Gulf Libyan Bank; Mr. An- toine Habib, Chairman and General Manager of Banque de l’Habitat in Lebanon; and Mr. Hanna Ayoub, whose career he presented as an ex- ample of a new generation building on institutional legacy while shaping its own path forward. Looking beyond the anniversary, Dr. Fattouh placed the focus firmly on the next twenty years. He called for a banking sector that is more innova- tive, more committed to governance, transparency and international stan- dards, and more capable of financing development, investment and em- ployment. His closing message was that banking today extends beyond financing the economy: it is an es- sential partner in building trust, sta- bility and sustainable development, while creating stronger bridges be- tween Arab institutions and their counterparts in Türkiye and world- wide. the BANKING EXECUTIVE 26 ISSUE 213 SEPTEMBER 2026 DR. EMAD BUKHAMSEEN: INNOVATION, PARTNERSHIP AND THE FUTURE OF ARAB BANKING In his remarks, Dr. Emad Bukham- seen, Deputy Chairman of the World Union of Arab Bankers, welcomed guests to Istanbul and described the city as a natural meeting point be- tween East and West, history and the future. He presented the 2026 gala as an occasion to celebrate the achieve- ments of Arab banks, financial insti- tutions and banking leaders amid an increasingly complex global eco- nomic environment, while reaffirm- ing the importance of dialogue and cooperation across the region’s fi- nancial community. Dr. Bukhamseeni expressed appreci- ation to the Republic of Türkiye for its hospitality and acknowledged the presence of H.E. Mehmet Simsek, Minister of Treasury and Finance, as well as the cooperation of the Banks Association of Türkiye and its Chair- man, Mr. Alpaslan Çakar. He stressed the importance of strengthening Arab-Turkish banking relations through wider cooperation in invest- ment, trade finance, development projects and the exchange of expert- ise, describing mutual trust and insti- tutional partnership as essential foundations for future growth and shared economic opportunity. He also focused on the rapid changes reshaping banking, from ar- tificial intelligence, fintech and digi- tal banking to evolving compliance, risk-management and global trade requirements. Against this backdrop, he argued that Arab financial institu- tions must continue to innovate, in- vest in people and technology, and adapt to change while preserving the core banking values of trust, integrity and responsibility. Dr. Bukhamseen concluded by con- gratulating the award recipients and expressing his hope for continued excellence and achievement across the Arab banking and financial sec- tor, with institutions equipped to meet change confidently while re- maining anchored in sound profes- sional values.