World Cup projects boost Qatar economic competitiveness: Al-Shaibei

QIIB chief executive officer Dr Abdulbasit Ahmad al-Shaibei said on Sunday that the projects carried out in preparation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 boosted the competitiveness of the Qatari economy and enhanced the banking sector's opportunities.Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), al-Shaibei said all the projects in facilities, infrastructure and other sectors comply with the best international standards, meet expectations, reflect the State of Qatar's unique prestige and assures the upcoming championship would be the best of its kind.He also praised the banking sector supervisory authorities for adopting many plans to enhance the banking sector's contribution to the success of the World Cup and provide all required support and assistance.Al-Shaibei highlighted QIIB's services to finance various projects related to the championship as well as the bank's strategy that focuses on the advantages and opportunities of the local market, as a moral and national commitment to supporting development and contributing to the implementation of various projects.He noted that the bank carried out a number of tournament-related activities and events, including issuing special credit and debit cards and launching a number of promotions.He added that QIIB also implemented plans to train staff to attend to the World Cup fans in a way that reflects the image of Doha as one of the prominent capitals of international sport and a forum for civilised interaction between peoples and nations.He added that the bank was training a team of its employees to provide internal support during and after the World Cup in case of the breakdown of one of the service provider or any other emergencies.QIIB has greatly promoted the digital transformation services in response to the increased pressure on banking services expected during the World Cup, al-Shaibei said, highlighting the stress tests the bank carried out through qualified and specialised companies, as an essential part of preparing for the World Cup.Depending on the successful business continuity plans the bank adopted during Covid-19 lockdown, al-Shaibei stressed the bank has now adopted strategies to do business smoothly during the championship, especially with regard to possible scenarios of remote work or dealing with congestion and traffic closures or fraud attempts.He further highlighted QIIB's preparations in the field of cybersecurity.Al-Shaibei highlighted the bank's achievements as a result of long-term investments in technology and software, with the bank services and operations employing the best programmes and systems compatible with global standards and the policies keeping pace with global technological development.