KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 13): Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia (ARBM) has announced the appointment of Ikram Khaliq as its head of digital bank.

Ikram has over 16 years of international experience mentoring and building tech firms in the financial technology (fintech) and insurance technology (insuretech) industries, ARBM said in a statement.

“Specialising in fintech consultancy, he successfully implemented innovative solutions across banking, wealth and asset management, insurance, and financial services,” the bank said.

Ikram, who has relocated from the UK to Malaysia, holds a degree in financial mathematics from Brunel University, UK with Agile and Prince 2 certifications.

Concurrently, ARBM also officially launched its new office in Menara Hap Seng 3, Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur. It will house ARBM’s digital bank team and several other divisions.

The move follows the announcement in December last year that the Islamic bank will be launching its digital bank this year.

“We have invested significantly in digital innovation as we lay the foundation of a customer-focused digital bank, and we are indeed pleased to have Ikram on board to lead the team,” ARBM chief executive officer Arsalaan (Oz) Ahmed said in the statement.

“We aspire to set a new standard of excellence for Islamic banking in Malaysia through best-in-class digital banking propositions and channels to benefit ARBM’s individual and business customers,” he said.

This, Arsalaan said, is in line with the strategic thrusts of the Financial Sector Blueprint 2022-2026 which focuses on the advancement of digitalisation of the financial sector as well as Islamic finance leadership, on top of the government’s emphasis on digital technology as outlined in the 12th Malaysia Plan.

“We are excited to be here as the new workspace enables ARBM to grow our digital bank in line with our vision of becoming the No 1 Islamic innovation bank in Malaysia,” he added.