2016 awakens? Not just yet

The Board of Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam today announced the appointment of Mr Mubashar Khokhar as its Managing Director with effect from 30 November 2015. He will take over from Mr Javed Ahmad who will leave BIBD on 29 December 2015, after having successfully led the Bank since 2008.

Dato Paduka Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, Chairman of BIBD said that Mr Khokhar brings with him a wealth of knowledge and international experience of over 30 years in the financial industry, which is well-suited to BIBD’s ambitious plans to take the bank to the next level. “Mubashar has deep knowledge of the Islamic finance industry and proven executive experience across fifteen developed and emerging markets, including the USA, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council. He will continue to drive the transformation and continuous improvement agenda that we have set out for the Bank, to generate respectable returns for our shareholders, while continuously providing our customers with world-class Islamic financial services.”

Mr Mubashar Khokhar as its Managing Director of BIBD. Image taken from emirates247.com

Prior to BIBD, Mr Khokhar was Managing Director at Fajr Capital, Dubai, a principal investment firm and, CEO of Ajman Bank, a publicly listed Shari’a compliant bank in UAE, and also served as the CEO of Badr Al-Islami/Mashreq Al-Islami, a wholly owned subsidiary of MashreqBank. Under his leadership at Ajman Bank, Ajman Bank received widespread industry recognition, including the coveted ‘Best Domestic Bank’ award in 2011. He started his career with American Express and Bank of America.

Dato Haji Bahrin also thanked Mr Javed Ahmad for his immense contributions during his tenure at the helm of BIBD. Mr Javed Ahmad was instrumental in the transformation of BIBD into Brunei Darussalam’s largest bank and the sultanate’s flagship Islamic financial institution, serving over 30% of the Bruneian market. Several milestones have been chartered during his leadership at BIBD, including the Bank’s major rebranding exercise in 2013, the introduction of pilot banking innovations and technologies, as well as the Bank’s regional expansion to Singapore. BIBD has also received numerous international recognitions under Javed Ahmad’s leadership, including receiving the impressive A- (Stable) credit rating, the highest in Brunei Darussalam and among the highest in Southeast Asia accorded by international credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s.

Thank you, Mr. Javed Ahmad, for your friendship and continuous support during your capacity as the MD of BIBD. I wish you the best in your future endeavours.

 

Pg Suhardy bin Pg Hj Nordin, BIBD’s Head of Branches, present a prize to one of the winners

Pg Suhardy bin Pg Hj Nordin, BIBD’s Head of Branches, present a prize to one of the winners

BIBD last weekend handed over three pairs of air tickets to Kota Kinabalu for the first monthly winners of its “Swipe to Fly” campaign at the Radisson Hotel in the capital. Present to hand over the prizes was BIBD’s Head of Branches, Pg Suhardy bin Pg Hj Nordin.

Throughout the promotion period ending 29th of February 2016, every transaction made using any physical BIBD cards will entitle the card holder one entry, automatically entered into the ‘Swipe to Fly’ campaign. As an added bonus, any transaction on the same cards above BND$50 will also entitle the cardholder an additional five entrees. The four-month promotion will also offer air tickets to Jakarta, Bali and Bangkok.

BIBD is also currently running its BIBD Card Privileges promotion which allows BIBD cardholders, including the BIBD Virtual Mastercard, to enjoy a discount of up to seven percent when you book your travel accommodation with Agoda. This promotion is valid until the 31st December 2015, and is available via the BIBD landing page at www.agoda.com/bibd.

For more information on any BIBD products, services and promotions, please follow the BIBD Instagram account at @BIBDBRUNEI; Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bibdbrunei ; get in touch with BIBD Contact Centre at 2238181 or visit the nearest BIBD Branch. Also, don’t forget to download the popular BIBD Mobile App to get the latest BIBD offers and promotions under “What’s New” feature.

Group photo with the winners

 

Check out the new Peugeot 3008 crossover now available in Brunei

The front view and now the lights are pretty unique, powered by Bi-Xenon Directional Light

The trend is picking up or it already has been the trend in Brunei Darussalam. Car enthusiasts prefer to drive an SUV than a saloon car. So it’s no surprise that many European car manufacturers are listening to the demands especially in Asia and Brunei is one of them.

Today my post will feature the latest edition to the Peugeot family – the Peugeot 3008. This model will surely attract many potential customers. Why? Because of its affordability for a crossover SUV and its awesome safety features.

The Peugeot 3008 is a crossover SUV capable of seating five in comfort thanks to its MPV-like interior and clever use of space from our fully imported model from France.

Designed to look more like a 4×4 estate than a traditional SUV or people carrier, the Peugeot 3008 stands out on the road and the modern, attractive design incorporates vast boot space for luggage and equipment.

Inside the Peugeot 3008, the interior is kitted out with an almost-executive-level of equipment and the use of quality materials puts the 3008 ahead of many of its rivals.

An excellent petrol engines provide plenty of power matched to low running costs, low levels of emissions and small car fuel economy.

Even the bonnet area is spacious and can carry the human weights of my media buddies

Annison, TCY Motors Peugeot sales manager, adjusting the partition at the boot area. He highlighted how the new SUV is clever in using its space.

Adjustable space at the back

Vincent Hong checking out the new 3008

Now for only BND 539 per month and with the new AMBD directive, you don’t need down payment. Coolio!!

Safety feature. Customers will feel more confident knowing that the 3008 crossover is being awarded a 5* Euro NCAP rating.

The 3008 is the only entry level SUV in Brunei, to be fitted with Bi-Xenon Directional Light (totally cool feature). This feature is very important on safety aspect during night driving. When maneuvering, the light follows the direction of the steering wheel, thus making your driving safer and with confidence.

The New 3008 is fitted with 6 SMART airbags that inflate according to the force of the impact, giving you exactly the right level of protection. Every part of the New 3008 has been designed for maximum safety.

Price? Well, you will be amazed to know that the price is set at BND 34,900 or from BND 539 per month depending on your specification. We had the privilege to have a closer look at the new Peugeot 3008 crossover at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf last week. For those interested to view the car, you can drop by their Peugeot Showroom at Kiarong.

You can also follow their Facebook Page and their Brunei’s Peugeot website for more updates.

The black one looks cool

Close up view of the front

The interior look

 

Muhammad Abdul Mu’iz Darul the winner of the Open Category of the Financial Scams Awareness Short Video Competition and presenting the prize was AMBD Managing Director Yusof Hj Abd Rahman

Ak Sulaiman Pg Hj Aman from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) the winner of the Student Category of the Financial Scams Awareness Short Video Competition and presenting the prize was AMBD Managing Director Yusof Hj Abd Rahman

The creators of the best videos on financial scams were recently given recognition by the organiser of the competition, Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD), at the Theatre Hall, Ministry of Finance Building last week.

The Financial Scams Awareness Video Competition, which was divided into two categories – Student and Open – saw a total of three winners from each category.
In the Student category, Ak Sulaiman Pg Hj Aman from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) took the first place for his video Desperate. In second place were Chung Ming Ru and Nurul Hafizah Zakaria, also from UBD, for their video, Loving Can Hurt. Meanwhile, in third place was a group of students from Politeknik Brunei – Mohd Izzat Afifi Hassan, Ak Md Akmal Muazzam Pg Mohammad Adam Nor-Islam, Amin Yusuf Abd Salam; and Muhd Hafiy Masri – for their video titled Tabung Dana.

In the open category Muhammad Abdul Mu’iz Darul was announced the first place winner for his video Tuah Malang. In second and third places respectively were Mohammad Hanifi Hj Juffri for his video The Pyramid and Amirul Jazli Jali for his video Caught in the Web.

The consolation prizes winners went to Abdul Hanan bin Haji Erwan, Nurul Fatin Haziqah binti Abdul Rahman, Siti Zuraidah @ ‘Aziyah As-Zahra binti Mat Jais and Najihah binti Haji Ali from Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA); and Muhammad Meerza Helmi bin Uzapuspa, Muhammad Afiq Khairuddin bin Kamaluddin, Audrey Lim Hong Eng and Ahmad Fikri bin Zulbahri from Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (MSPSBS).

2nd place winner in the Student Category

The top three winners in the Open Category

The top three winners in the Student Category

Group photo with the AMBD and the winners and finalists of the Financial Scams Awareness Short Video Competition

Present to hand the prizes to the winners was AMBD Managing Director Yusof Hj Abd Rahman, who also presented prizes to consolation winners. Also present at the ceremony were AMBD’s management and staff as well as external judges Shaikh Hj Hanafiyah Shaikh Hj Ahmad from Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB); and Siti Kamaluddin from Origins Film Sdn Bhd.

In an AMBD press statement, the competition was organised to develop public awareness on financial scams.

The winning videos, Desperate and Tuah Malang, can be viewed on AMBD’s app, which can be downloaded for free on both App Store for iPhone users and Google Playstore for Android users. All the images courtesy of AMBD and text taken from The Brunei Times.