DUBAI - Barclays has appointed Khaled El Dabag and Walid Mezher as co-CEOs for the Middle East region, it said in a statement on Monday.

The two executives will be based in Dubai and report to Stephen Dainton, Barclays Bank's president and head of investment bank management.

El Dabag, who joined Barclays in 2014, is the CEO and head of investment banking for the British banking group's Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, while Mezher has served as its MENA head of markets since 2017.

"Bringing together senior leaders from our Investment Banking and Global Markets businesses will help further drive efficiency and collaboration in delivering one bank for our local and global clients," Dainton said in the statement, noting the Middle East is becoming and "increasingly important" region for the bank.

(Reporting by Federico Maccioni; Editing by Hugh Lawson)