Al Hilal Bank’s new CIO looks to collaborate with fintechs
Al Hilal Bank looks to partner with fintechs
UAE-based Al Hilal Bank has got a new CIO, Gopi Krishnan. He is calling on fintech CEOs to get in touch “to explore ways to collaborate”.
Krishnan moves from another regional bank, Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), where he was CIO since 2012. Prior to that, he was with BankMuscat International as programme director in charge of transformation, enterprise project management office (EPMO) and group integration.
On his LinkedIn profile, Krishnan describes himself as a “strategic CIO bullish on making technology as competitive advantage” and says he is keen “to connect with fintech CEOs and explore ways to collaborate”.
Al Hilal Bank has been operating in the UAE since 2008. It is based in Abu Dhabi, having been founded by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government).
It employs around 1,500 staff and has 25 domestic branches and 116 ATMs, plus three branches in Kazakhstan.
The bank offers Islamic banking services in the retail, corporate, wholesale, treasury and investment segments. It has 100,000+ customers.
On the technology side, its core operations are underpinned by the T24 banking platform supplied by Temenos.
Al Hilal states that it is “not like any other bank”. It is a bank that is “fresher, smarter and brighter”. Its products include:
- “Qibla Card” – the world’s first credit card with a digital compass that directs towards the Qibla (the direction that should be faced during Muslim prayers);
- “Laha Al Hilal” – UAE’s first scented credit card (it can be scented with any perfume a customer wants);
- “Egrab” – one of the first 100% electric mobile branches in the world;
- “Money Station” – the region’s first drive-through branch.
