DOHA: Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB) recently held a Training Day for the Board of Directors members in line with the Directors Annual Training Plan in order to meet the requirements of the corporate governance regulations that implement the governance instructions issued by Qatar Central Bank, and the corporate governance regulations pertaining to joint stock companies listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE).

The QIIB Board Training Day was also organised within the framework of collaborating between the Bank and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) as a specialised Qatari research university that provides high quality knowledge in several areas, thereby making a qualitative contribution towards the development of education and development in Qatar.

The event was administered by Ms. Aphrodite Samir Hammad, Executive Director of HBKU’s Executive Education Center, in line with the agreement with Hammad to design and implement specialised training courses for the QIIB’s Board of Directors.

The Training Day focused on one main theme: Virtual Currencies and Fintech, where Dr. Mashael Al-Sabah, Senior Scientist at the Qatar Computing Research Institute, Dr. Yazan Boshmaf, Scientist in Cyber Security at Qatar Computing Research Institute, HBK, discussed various topics related to the theme, shedding light on the dimensions of cryptocurrencies, their functions, risks associated with these currencies, as well as other related topics.

Moreover, there was an in-depth interactive discussion between the Board members and lecturers highlighting the prominence of the topic and the various approaches to address it, dimensions associated with it, challenges faced by financial markets in light of the emergence of digital currencies and the controversy that surrounds them, in addition to their potential impact on the global financial sector and investments.

Furthermore, the subject of fintech was thoroughly debated and emphasised in the training day activities – since keeping pace with the new innovations and technologies associated with fintech has become one the main challenges in today's world.

This means that those who are updated with technological advancements will be better prepared to tackle competition.

The most vital legislation and factors governing the prevalence of fintech in Qatar and the significant potential opportunities of investing in fintech software were also pointed out during the QIIB Training Day, which demonstrates the great interest of various entities, both government and private sector, and entrepreneurs in this field.

The Training Day concluded with a presentation on the topics, information, opinions and inferences that were discussed.

Members of the Board of Directors thanked the panellists for their efforts, comprehensive research and knowledge during the lectures and discussions.