Doha Bank officials and other guests outside the newly-opened Chennai branch in Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
DOHA: Doha Bank, one of the largest commercial banks in Qatar, announced the official opening of its Chennai Branch. The Branch Inauguration & Ribbon cutting Ceremony was held in the on April 4, 2018 at the Branch.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Board Members including Sheikh Fahad bin Mohammad bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman; Sheikh Abdul Rehman bin Mohammad bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director; Board members Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohamed bin Jabor Al Thani and Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Malki; and Dr R. Seetharaman, CEO along with the senior management team of Doha Bank.
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by several high-profile dignitaries from Qatar including Abdulrahman Ahmad A Y Al Obaidan, Hassen Aliakbar G Radwani, Ibrahim Nabina, Maqbool Habeeb J Khalfan, Solaiman Haidar S H Al
Haidar, Ahmad Abdul Kareem Al Jalham and Yousif Mousa E Abuhelaiqa.
In addition, the members of Local Advisory Board (LAB) of Doha Bank India - Shailesh Haribhakti, Dr.Kailash Mishra, Rajmal Parakh and Sunder George were also present.
Earlier, P. Kumaran, Ambassador of India to Qatar had met Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director of Doha Bank to convey his best wishes and support on the launch of their new branch in Chennai.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman expressed his gratitude to the hospitality provided by the residents of Chennai. He also added that Doha Bank Chennai branch will facilitate business and investments between Qatar and India.
Dr. R Seetharaman, Doha Bank Chief Executive Officer said “Doha Bank was the first Qatari bank to start its operations in India when it started its Mumbai operations in 2015, first Qatari bank in Kochi and we are the first bank from the Gulf to be in Tamil Nadu.”
Dr. Seetharaman further explained various products offered by the India branches. He added: “The Chennai branch will assist the bank’s growing customer base in India with a wide range of services, including Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Treasury, Trade Finance and Foreign Exchange Services along with an array of corporate and SME products such as Term Loans, Working Capital (INR as well as in Permitted Foreign Currencies), Trade Finance Products, Buyers and Suppliers Credit as well as Treasury Products and Hedging Solutions. On the retail and NRI side, the bank offers the entire range of liability products like savings account (NRE, NRO, and ordinary), current account, term deposits (short term and long term), FCNR (B) deposits, exchange earners foreign currency account (EEFC), and PIS accounts. In addition for NRIs, through our collaborations, we offer home loans, wealth management, and estate and succession planning services.”
The Branch inaugurationwas followedby a corporate event ‘Bilateral Business opportunities – Tamil Nadu, India and Qatar’ at Hotel Leela Palace, Chennai in the presence of above Qatari Dignitaries, Board Members of Doha Bank and keypersonnel fromprominent local& international corporate houses who were keen to hear about potential business opportunities between India and Qatar and how Doha Bankcan help support these activities from its presence in India (Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai), Qatar and other global locations.
Dr. R. Seetharaman moderated a panel discussion with eminent speakers namely Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Malki, MaqboolHabeeb J Khalfan, Fahmi Al Ghussein, Shailesh Haribhakti, Dr.Kailash Mishra and Aashish P Somaiyaa. The speakers shared their views on the positive impact of the new branch on different sectors both in India and Qatar, particularly the financial services, infrastructure, and industries. They also highlighted potential bilateral investment opportunities.
Dr. R. Seetharaman gave the concept note for the event. Commenting on the global economy, he said: “The advanced economies are expected to grow by 2.3 percent in 2018 and 2.2 percent in 2019 according to IMF Jan 2018 Outlook.”
