Dubai-UAE: 29 May, 2015

Noor Bank hosted a group of Islamic Finance students from Paris Dauphine University for a second consecutive year and engaged them in lively discussions with the bank's key executives about the future of Islamic banking. The seminar was a part of Paris Dauphine University's two week roadshow to the Gulf, which included the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.

In his introductory segment, Zakaria Karkouri, Head of Structured and Derivative Products, detailed Noor Bank's history, activities and its large range of products and services (such as corporate banking, personal banking including credit card and treasury). Umer Malik, Senior Sales, then presented the history of Islamic finance, from its roots to the latest challenges and evolutions.

In his presentation, Mohamed Izzam, Shari'a Manager, explained the investment process the bank has to follow and the basic rules that need to be respected for Shari'a compliance. Following the talks, the visiting students were given the opportunity to ask questions about the bank's strategy and the prevailing industry challenges. The students also expressed interest in gaining insights into Noor Bank's debut Sukuk issuance which had one of the lowest pricings in the UAE and was oversubscribed 4.3 times. The Sukuk had a good global response, generating strong interest from international investors abroad.

Commenting on the students' visit, Amjad Naser, Head of Shari'a at Noor Bank, said: "Noor Bank is proud to have hosted the revered Paris Dauphine University for the second year in a row. The UAE region is renowned for its status as the hub of Islamic finance. As a leading Shari'a compliant bank, Noor Bank is keen to share insights on its innovative product offerings with the next generation. The interactive session also helped us articulate our aim to educate universities and colleges on the bank's best practices."

For his part, Merbouh Kader, Head of the Islamic Finance Executive Master, Paris Dauphine, said: "It was an honour to visit the Noor Bank offices.  It gave us a valuable opportunity to learn more about the practices in Islamic finance from a market leading bank in the region and how the institution leverages them in the face of both regional and global challenges."

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About Noor Bank
Noor Bank began operations, in Dubai, in 2008, as Noor Islamic Bank. It is a full service bank delivering the broadest range of products for its customers, with an emphasis on unique and personalised service. Noor Bank is governed by a Shari'a board, comprising leading Islamic scholars with extensive experience and expertise in legal, financial and banking-related matters. Noor Bank is rated "A-" IDR with a stable outlook by Fitch Ratings. The corporate shareholders of the Bank are The Office of the Crown Prince of Dubai (25.73%), the Investment Corporation of Dubai (22.71%) and the Emirates Investment Authority (4.7%).  The remaining shares are beneficially held by individuals who each own less than 5% of Noor Bank.  For further details, please visit: www.noorbank.com or call 800 6667.

About Paris Dauphine University
The Paris Dauphine University is a major higher education institution for training activities (initial, executive and research in the fields of Organization and Decision Sciences, Management, Economics, Mathematics, IT, Law, Sociology and Political Sciences). There are 386 permanent professors, 9500 students of which 4566 are in Masters programs, and more than 159 in Bachelor and PhD programs. With the Equis accreditation in 2009, and re- accreditation late in 2012, Paris Dauphine University is one of the leading universities in Europe in its field. The university is also a founding member of the PSL (Paris Sciences and Letters) a research university, which is part of the excellence initiative retained by an international jury in the framework of the "Grand Emprunt." The University is a member of the High School conferences. www.dauphine.fr

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