KUWAIT: Building on an already impressive start to 2018, Gulf Bank was awarded the distinction of 'Best Retail Bank in Kuwait' by Banker Middle East, the region's leading banking industry magazine. The award recognizes the Bank's outstanding performance in the retail sector and highlights its understanding of customers' needs and its commitment to delivering superior services and products. The award was received by Bank executives Tareq Al-Saleh, Assistant General Manager of Investment and Mr. Basel Al-Assad, Assistant General Manager of Branch Banking at a ceremony at the Ritz Carlton DIFC in Dubai on May 3, 2018.

"It is an honor to be recognized as the leading retail bank in Kuwait for the third consecutive year, which I believe is a testament to the Bank's commitment to its customers and their needs. We are working to ensure we not only meet customers' needs but also meet needs that customers might not even realize they have," said Tareq Al-Saleh upon receiving the award.

"I would like to thank the Gulf Bank team for their hard work and Banker Middle East for recognizing and endorsing our efforts." The Banker Middle East Industry Awards were first held in 1999 and have become acknowledged as the most important recognition of financial excellence in the Middle East. Every year through a combination of reader votes and in-depth analysis of financial statements Banker Middle East assesses all financial institutions in the region and celebrates the best and brightest of the banking sector in the region. Each winner has outperformed their peers across a variety of the most important key performance indicators to witness unrivaled growth and success in the last year.