Ahli Bank Wins 'Best Bank for Governance Standards' and 'Best Call Center' Awards

Kuwait National Bank (KNB) has continued to solidify its position in the field of governance excellence and customer service, by winning the “Best Bank in Governance Standards Excellence” award for the first time, and the “Best Call Center in the Banking Sector” award in Kuwait for the third consecutive year, for the years 2025 and 2026, as recognized by Global Brands magazine. This achievement reflects the success of its plans to deliver a faster and more efficient banking experience.

The two awards were presented to Dr. Ayman Al-Balushi, Head of Group Governance at KNB; Ammar Khajah, Assistant General Manager of Retail Banking Services; and Hussein Shamouh, Head of the Call Center, during the ceremony hosted by the magazine in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the presence of a number of regional banking and corporate executives.

KNB was honored with the “Best Bank in Applying Governance Standards” award in recognition of the efficiency of its internal control mechanisms, its full commitment to transparency, ethical responsibility, and regulatory requirements, the integration of its operational performance and internal controls, and its robust risk management procedures.

The bank’s selection for the “Best Call Center in the Banking Sector in Kuwait” was based on a set of operational standards and service quality criteria, including speed of customer response, efficiency in handling inquiries and requests, activation of automated response systems, customer satisfaction levels, and the continuous development of staff capabilities.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Ayman Al-Balushi stated that the “Best Bank in Applying Governance Standards” award reflects the excellence of the organizational and managerial approach adopted by Kuwait National Bank, translating the Board of Directors’ and executive management’s commitment to transparency and self-regulation to safeguard the rights of all stakeholders and continuously deliver added value. He attributed this achievement to the Board’s approach and directives, which are based on strict adherence to governance standards. This is evident through the adoption of a fully digital mechanism via the advanced “Geiom” system to approve policies and monitor their implementation across various departments, thereby enhancing the confidence of global circles and institutions in the bank’s performance.

He added, “We have been keen to build a work system that transcends the traditional concept of compliance, making governance an integral part of our culture and daily decision-making mechanism. We will strive to continue developing our standards and consolidating our leading position, supported by the Board of Directors, by enhancing innovation, transparency, and accuracy across all departments and divisions to build strong trust with partners and all stakeholders, and to ensure business sustainability and the successful achievement of our objectives.”

He noted that the bank continuously works to update its internal policies by adopting modern digital systems and developing disclosure and control mechanisms, in line with relevant regulations, to adapt to economic changes, manage crises and challenges prudently, and provide a responsible business model at all levels.

Dr. Al-Balushi concluded, “This recognition from Global Brands marks a milestone toward establishing an accountability-based model to win the trust of global institutions, after we aligned our internal policies with global developments to ensure the efficiency of our adopted systems. This is driven by the Board’s conviction that governance is the true guarantee for protecting the bank’s assets and consolidating trust with all stakeholders.”

For her part, Jheer Maaref, General Manager of Retail Banking Services at the bank, stated, “Winning the ‘Best Call Center in the Banking Sector in Kuwait’ award for the third consecutive year confirms the success of our strategy in developing the customer experience. It reflects the continuous investment in technology and human resources, enabling us to provide banking services characterized by speed, efficiency, and quality.”

She added, “Over the past period, we have been keen to achieve a qualitative leap in the call center by integrating modern solutions and technologies, developing communication mechanisms with customers, and continuing to train and qualify our staff. This ensures professional and precise handling of customer needs around the clock.”

She pointed out that the call center is one of the main pillars of the customer experience system, and not just a channel for responding to inquiries. It now plays an integrated role in providing services and executing many banking requests quickly and securely, thereby enhancing ease of interaction with the bank and increasing customer confidence in its services.

She emphasized that this achievement serves as a motivation to continue innovating and developing competencies, saying, “Our ambition goes beyond winning awards to building a banking model that places the customer at the heart of everything we do. We will continue to develop our channels and services to keep pace with our customers’ expectations.”

Maaref concluded, “Winning this title again places a greater responsibility on us to maintain high levels of service quality, thereby enhancing Kuwait National Bank’s position and leadership in customer experience within the Kuwaiti banking sector.”

These two awards add to a series of accolades that Kuwait National Bank continues to receive from specialized institutions evaluating performance in the banking sector. This reflects its success in adopting the highest standards and keeping pace with the constant developments and changes in the banking industry, contributing to gaining the trust of global experts and consolidating its high competitiveness and ability to meet the expectations of all its customer segments.