Qatar First Bank (QFB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Qatar University (QU), aiming to engage students of the College of Business and Economics (CBE) in joint activities such as guest speaker seminars, internship opportunities and academic research.

The MoU is the first under the Al Rowad initiative, which the bank launched with the aim of providing an enriching learning experience to students and equipping them with crucial business and banking fundamentals to complement their academic knowledge.

The MoU was signed in the presence of QU president Professor Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad, QU vice-president and chief academic officer Dr Mazen Hasna, CBE dean Prof Nitham M Hindi, QFB chairman Abdulla bin Fahad bin Ghorab al-Marri and QFB acting CEO Ahmad Meshari.

Areas of co-operation will include organisation of support and participation in joint activities such as “A Day with a Billionaire”, where the bank facilitates hosting a prominent figure in the business and finance community to spend a day with the CBE students to share their life experiences and success stories in the business world.

The MoU also enables the students to avail of internship and job training opportunities offered by the bank.

In addition, QFB will present an award to recognise outstanding academic research by the students in the field of finance and economics.

“Our collaboration with Qatar University provides us with a unique opportunity to transfer our business skills and professional knowledge to the younger generation to help better prepare for their professional life. We will be looking forward to a long standing relationship with Qatar University,” said al-Marri.

“We are pleased to establish this partnership with QFB, which provides our students with invaluable opportunities to advance their business education.  Hands-on guidance from experts at QFB and interaction with leaders and change-makers in the finance sector in Qatar will enrich our students’ experiences and complement their education,” said Professor al-Misnad.

The Al Rowad initiative complements the existing QFB Executive Programme, which targets university graduates. The bank plans to expand the initiative to include other universities in Qatar in the near future.