KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) hosted Alderman Alastair King, Lord Mayor of the City of London, and his accompanying delegation for a luncheon at its headquarters, on the sidelines of their visit to Kuwait, in the presence of Belinda Lewis, British Ambassador to Kuwait. Lord King and the accompanying delegation were welcomed by Isam Al-Sager, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of National Bank of Kuwait, along with several of the bank’s board members and executive management team.
In a speech delivered on behalf of the bank’s board of directors and executive management, Al-Sager welcomed the Lord Mayor of the City of London and his accompanying economic delegation. He highlighted that this visit has special significance as it coincides with the 125th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Kuwait and Britain, underscoring the long-standing, solid ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries and peoples on many levels, especially the economic relations lasting for long decades.
Al-Sager mentioned that these ties have yielded decades of successful business and financial relations, extending to exchange of expertise and visions, and significantly contributing to serving the mutual interests of the two countries, expressing his appreciation to the Lord Mayor of the City of London and his leading role in building resilient bilateral relations between Kuwait and London, which hosts many leading Kuwaiti financial institutions. "We, at NBK, are proud of the strong ties between the business communities of the two friendly countries, which we have been able to strengthen over the years,” he said, adding that the City of London, with its legacy of stability and innovation in the banking and financial sector, has played a key role in shaping the global financial landscape.
"The Kuwaiti-British partnership has been instrumental in supporting this role, and we look forward to further strengthening relations going forward,” he emphasized. "The visit of the Lord Mayor of the City of London to NBK’s Headquarters underscores the continued strong cooperation between the Bank and the business community in London, and we look forward to furthering this cooperation in the future.”
Lord Alastair and his accompanying delegation’s visit to Kuwait is part of his tour to promote economic and trade relations between Kuwait and the UK, in addition to unlocking investment opportunities and discussing areas of cooperation across various sectors, which contributes to fostering the economies of the two countries. NBK always seeks to strengthen its presence in the main financial markets, foremost of which is the City of London, in line with the Bank’s strategy to support trade exchange between developed economies and countries in the region, in addition to serving its customers around the world.
It also aims to solidify relations with major London-based international companies seeking to launch their business in Kuwait and the region. NBK’s international presence spans many of the world’s leading financial centers including branches, subsidiaries and representative offices in China, Geneva, London, Paris, New York, and Singapore, alongside its regional presence in Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and, the UAE.