School students learn about banking sector

A delegation from Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) has delivered an educational lecture about the banking and finance industry in Qatar at the Ahmad bin Hanbal Independent Boys School.
The visit forms part of QIB’s education programme on financial literacy, which is specifically focused on cultivating basic financial knowledge to high school students in Qatar.
The visit was led by QIB Group CEO Bassel Gamal, who was welcomed by Ahmed Hussein al-Rahimi, licence holder and principal of Ahmad bin Hanbal Independent School.
The visit also aims to create awareness among the students on the important role of banks in everyday life, and was organised as part of QIB’s social responsibility programme where the bank engages with the local community and collaborates with social institutions to support different social activities. QIB’s commitment to support the education sector originates from the bank’s belief that “today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders.”
Gamal started the lecture with the government’s investment in education and the recent speech of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
He then gave a brief overview of the history of banks around the world and the important role of banks in people’s lives and businesses, as well as for economic development and growth.
Gamal discussed the banking sector’s contribution to Qatar’s National Vision 2030. He also provided examples to help students understand how banks are providing products and services that help people in Qatar to improve their lives and fuel economic growth for the country.
He also differentiated conventional banking from Islamic banking, highlighting the specific nature and mechanisms of Islamic banking and how Islamic banks have recently developed innovative Shariah-compliant banking solutions to cover all financial needs of individuals, government institutions, large corporations and startups.
“It is important to learn how to earn the money necessary to pay for what we really need, to save for what we want in the future and not to forget to help the ones in need along the way,” Gamal said.
He also talked about QIB’s role in supporting and investing in Qatar’s youth through its summer internship programmes and by sponsoring Qatari students to complete their studies in various fields of education.
Al-Rahimi said: “I was very pleased to welcome senior ranking representatives from QIB who were very motivated to raise awareness and encourage students to pursue the banking industry, specifically Islamic banking. This is very important and will contribute to the development of our economy and implementation of Qatar’s 2030 vision.”