New logo reflects NCB's proud heritage and positions it for the future.
The National Commercial Bank (NCB), the first Saudi bank established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, today launched its new corporate identity that matches its vision and drive to be the preferred provider of financial services to consumers and business - and an innovative leader in Islamic banking across the region.
Historically, NCB’s equity has always been closely associated with its name - and the arch symbol within its logo has reinforced an image of stability. Today this changes; with a series of modifications that build upon the bank’s rich heritage, bringing the bank closer to its customers, add modernity and further promote the bank’s Islamic values.
Announced at a press conference held at the bank’s prestigious headquarters based in Jeddah, and attended by many senior local dignitaries and officials, Abdulhadi Shayif NCB General Manager, announced, “The previous logo, and particularly the arch, is a symbol that is strictly associated with NCB, providing an image of stability, structure and strength.
Developed during close consultation over several months with Allen International, one of the world’s leading corporate identity consultancies, the re-branding retains the overall form of the original ‘gateway’ logo but includes several modifications that include a reworking of the arch, which now incorporates dual green tones and stronger references to Islamic craftsmanship and architecture. The name Al Ahli, which means ‘family,’ has been incorporated on the right of the gateway to more closely identify with its customers, the Saudi community.
“We have used Al Ahli as our communications name. Al Ahli is our identity; this is what customers call us and we decided to be closer to their needs by using this name. This means that the new gateway is positioned centrally between the word marks which are now underlined with confidence in orange, a colour adding dynamism and modernity in line with the Bank direction.
“The new identity projects an image of change, quality, and understanding of cultural needs, but first and foremost it represents a gateway to the future. Over the past five years, NCB recaptured its position as the leading bank in Saudi Arabia and across the region - and is now looking to consolidate this market dominance through continued innovation in consumer, corporate and Islamic banking,” he said.
“As a result, NCB requires an image that differentiates the bank from its competitors while retaining the intrinsic meaning of the gateway as an entrance to knowledge, relationships and service.
“The new logo follows NCB’s strong financial performance during the bank’s 50th year in 2003 and represents the beginning of a new chapter in the bank’s history,” he said.
“A strong brand image will enable existing and potential customers to clearly identify NCB’s products and services and the new logo will feature in all marketing and information materials and be prominently displayed in the bank’s 252 branches throughout the Kingdom,” he said.
Mr. Shayif highlighted that the new branding would be underpinned by a strong operational performance. In 2003, NCB reinforced its reputation as the most innovative, people oriented and customer focused bank in Saudi Arabia through launching the first trade finance Internet service in the Kingdom, Al-AhliTrade; the first Islamic credit card, Tayseer Al-Ahli; and the Oryx Multi-Strategy Fund, the first hedge fund offered by a Saudi bank.
Other operational highlights included the introduction of eCorp, an Internet cash management system for corporate customers, and a People Review process to identify and develop talented Saudi nationals.
“NCB’s strong focus on developing its people will continue. It is our intention to make NCB a sought after place to work, then our people supported by efficient internal processes, will make it the best bank for customers, and strong financial performance will follow,” he added.
NCB now accounts for 22.4 percent of all customer deposits in the Saudi banking sector and more than 65% of all financial transactions are conducted electronically.
Internationally, NCB is represented in all major financial centres while in Saudi Arabia its domestic network comprises 252 branches, 873 ATMs and 4,636 point-of-sale terminals.
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For enquiries please contact
NCB Corporate Communications
Ghassan H. Badkook
Amr S. Amawi
© Press Release 2004
