KUWAIT: In line with its strategy to develop human capital by supporting their career advancement and ensuring their career growth, NBK concluded a specialized training program on trade finance held in cooperation with Euromoney, with the aim of developing and enhancing the skills of Trade Finance Department staff and providing them with adequate expertise in this domain.

NBK is keen to continuously support, empower and develop its employees by providing them with the best training programs and workshops to develop their skills related to leadership, implementation of strategies, change management and innovation, to help them keep pace with the rapid developments taking place in the banking industry.

To this end, the bank engages a select of reputable banking experts who transfer their knowledge and expertise to these cadres, reflecting its profound vision regarding investing in the human capital. In addition, NBK boasts the highest retention rates of Kuwaiti employees, which reflects success in its plans to manage human capital and appreciation of its human cadres.

On this occasion, NBK organized a graduation ceremony for trainees, which was attended by Salah Al-Fulaij, CEO of National Bank of Kuwait - Kuwait, Sulaiman Al-Marzouq, Deputy CEO of National Bank of Kuwait - Kuwait, Emad Al-Ablani, GM - Group Human Resources, as well as other executives from the bank, following all precautionary measures including social distancing to keep everyone safe.

The virtual program that lasted for five weeks hosted 15 employees who received intensive training on many topics covering the basics of trade finance, collections, letters of guarantee (LGs), letters of credit (LCs), trade products structure, LG/LC compliance, as well as other operational aspects of trade finance and technical and professional tools.

The third version of the program aimed to enhance trainees' knowledge of international trade, educate them on the instrumental role played by banks in facilitating international trade, in addition to training them on LG/LC compliance matters, familiarizing them with key money laundering mechanisms associated with trade, and enabling them to identify the aspects of LG/LC compliance risk.

The program is accredited by the London Institute of Banking and Finance and meets the standards required to obtain international accreditation as Certified Documentary Credits Specialist (CDCS), and Certified Specialist in Demand Guarantees (CSDG).

It is worth mentioning that National Bank of Kuwait was named "Best Trade Finance Bank in Kuwait for 2021" in the annual survey of Global Trade Review (GTR) magazine specialized in global emerging markets, in addition to receiving "Best Trade Finance Provider in Kuwait for 2020" award from the reputable international finance magazine Global Finance.