Cass Dubai Centre holds 2nd annual Bankseta event in DIFC

Hosted by Cass Business School Dubai and the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the delegation from South Africa's Banking Sector and Education and Training Authority, BANKSETA, toured Dubai's financial district and heard talks by: Ghanim Al Shamsi, Director of Business Relations at DIFC Authority; Venkatesh Srikantan, Head of UAE Retail and Business Banking at Barclays and Dr. Sohail Zubairi, CEO of Dar Al Sharia Legal and Financial Consultancy. The talks covered a range of topics, from a general overview of DIFC to briefings on the UAE economy, the retail banking industry in the UAE and Islamic (Shari'a) banking, more specifically.

Originally established by the South African Department of Labour (now the Department of Higher Education and Training) BANKSETA aims to develop skill levels within the country's banking and microfinance sectors. BANKSETA has worked with the Wits Business School in South Africa and Cass Business School, part of City University London, in the UK to develop the International Executive Development Programme (IEDP), which seeks to identify and develop high-potential future leaders of the South African financial services industry.

Max Makhubalo, BANKSETA CEO, said: "Our visit to the UAE and DIFC in particular continue to be one of the the highlights of this programme. BANKSETA thank DIFC, Cass Dubai Centre and the aforementioned guest speakers for the warm reception, knowledge exchange and the support to the IEDP."

Kevin Birkett, Managing Director of Business Development at DIFC Authority, said: "DIFC is proud to receive the delegation from BANKSETA, and is committed to sharing knowledge and experience in developing strong and efficient financial centres. This becomes increasingly important as we continue to see well-qualified professionals migrating to the DIFC to build their careers by working in one of the world's top financial centres."

Ehsan Razavizadeh, Regional Director of Cass Business School, City University MENA region, said: "The yearly meeting of UAE and South African banking representatives demonstrates the importance of the sector to both countries and the recognition that time and effort must be spent gaining the skills to work within it. Dubai continues to attract investment and interest from both East and West and is, therefore, perfectly positioned for South Africans looking to join the financial services market."