Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – Arab Financial Services (AFS), the leading digital payment solutions provider and fintech enabler in the Middle East and Africa, has been recognized and honored for its workforce nationalization efforts at an event that took place recently on the sidelines of the GCC ministerial meetings hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. AFS was the only financial institution from the Kingdom of Bahrain to receive this honor, as a committed employer of Bahraini talent.

On this occasion, Samer Soliman Arab Financial Services (AFS) CEO said: “This is a tremendous honor for AFS and reflects the importance we place on recruiting and nurturing local talent. Our employees are the most important drivers of the organization’s growth and innovation, and this award provides validation of our best practice in all areas of Employee Development. I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ministry of Labour & Social Development, for honoring and recognizing AFS’s efforts, and to our regulator the Central Bank of Bahrain who actively supports our growth and innovation.

His Excellency Minister of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, honored 19 leading companies in the fields of labor and development across the GCC states, at the event. Receiving the award on behalf of AFS was Mrs. Zainab Ali, Senior Human Resources Officer.

With 70% Bahrainization across its Bahrain operations, AFS is committed to its national workforce investment while offering exciting career opportunities both locally and regionally. Most recently, AFS successfully concluded its inaugural Summer Internship Programme: AFS iSuites. The programme, which trained promising, primarily Bahraini, students from local, regional, and global academic institutions, is a testament to AFS’s commitment to supporting youth by developing their professional and technical skills. The internship programme focused on giving students with a range of academic specializations a strong payments technology knowledge-based foundation that will serve them well in future.

Regulated by The Central Bank of Bahrain, and majority-owned by Bank ABC, AFS boasts numerous ground-breaking end-to-end digital payment services and solutions. These span debit, credit, and Islamic card processing, merchant acquiring, fintech, and a suite of state-of-the-art value-added services. Providing the highest quality payments solutions that are trusted by businesses, AFS has offices and data centers in Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman. Its dedication to innovation has positioned AFS as a driving market force delivering a rich portfolio of payment solutions including popular digital mobile wallets, market-leading merchant acquiring services, Bahrain’s leading digital payroll solution, global contact centers and more.

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About AFS:

Arab Financial Services was formed in 1984 to provide payment products, services and expertise to banks and merchant groups and deliver customized payment solutions in an increasingly divergent, disruptive, and dynamic payment eco-system.

A key to the growing and continued success of the company was an executive team determined to invest in the most up-to-date, leading-edge technologies. AFS is owned by a total of 37 banks and financial institutions and serves over 60 clients in more than 20 countries across MEA.

Today, AFS is the region’s leading digital payment solutions provider and Fintech enabler, regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain.

AFS’s innovative approach to the provision of financial services is evidenced by a series of pioneering payment services that covers card processing services, merchant acquiring, fintech solutions and an impressive array of value-added services.

The emphasis that AFS places on innovation has positioned the company as a driving market force, delivering a rich portfolio of payment solutions including digital mobile wallets, customer orientated Merchant Acquiring services; Bahrain’s leading digital payroll solution Al Rateb, global Contact Centers and much more.

Trusted by businesses across the region AFS has been recognized as the “Best New Payment Solutions Provider for MSME Business Bahrain 2022" by Global Business Magazine, the “Leading Payments Innovator Bahrain 2021” by World Business Outlook and the “Best Payment Solution Provider

Bahrain 2021” by Global Banking & Finance Review.

Visit www.afs.com.bh for more information and join the conversation on LinkedIn.