AWARD SUPPLEMENT   WHY WINNERS WIN Official sponsor UNISYS  
    Habib Bank AG Zurich
  - leader in innovation
Habib Bank AG Zurich won the banker Middle East Special Award for Inovation at the Banker Middle East Country awards.
Reza Habib, joint president, Habib Bank AG Zurich presented Banker Middle East Special Award for Innovation.
Habib Bank AG Zurich won the special awards for innovation at the inaugral Banker Middle East Country Awards - United Arab Emirates 2001. The ceremony , held at Emirates Towers, was under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid Bin Zayed Al Nehayan who presented joint president Reza Habib with the award.
    The award has been organized by the Banker Middle East Magazine and were decided by a reader poll that fell into seven categories. The award for innovation highlights Habib Bank AG Zurich's on-going commitment to provide high tech cutting edge solutions for its customers whilst maintaining the traditional banking values for which Habib Bank AG Zurich has become renowned for in its 150 years.
    Reza Habib, joint president, Habib Bank AG Zurich said, "We're delighted that Habib Bank AG Zurich has been recognized as the leading bank in the region for innovation. The 'Banker Middle East Award for Innovation' shows that the public understand and have embraced our leading on-line banking services. In short, we empower our customers to control their finance 24 hours a day, world-wide, using leading technology. This has been possible by listening to our corporate and private customer needs and then focusing every employee at the bank to produce this winning service".
    Dominic De Souza, publisher of Banker Middle East said: "As a publisher of both a banking magazine and information technology magazine, I am in a position to say that the on-line services of Habib Bank AG Zurich are both ground breaking for the region and, from our experience, in the world wide banking arena."
    Within the last year Habib bank AG Zurich has made numerous additions to the services it provides.
    In September 2000 the bank launched HBZwap Banking, making it the first in the UAE to offer WAP-banking. HBZweb Banking is the bank's Internet site and since its inception a further 30 pages of views have been added as well as an on-line letter of credit service. HBZgsm banking is habib bank AG Zurich's short text messaging service (SMS). The banks JAVA ATM SWITCH network, HBZatm Service, was the first in the world to be based on the JAVA
platform, according to the bank. This is the key to Habib Bank AG Zurich's success. By utilising the Java platform for full compatibility. For the customer, this means complete access to all services via one platform regardless of time, place or the applications loaded on to their PC.
    Adhering to its motto of "service with security", Habib Bank AG Zurich has developed its own firewall based on Java to protect the bank from cyberspace.
    This has been implemented along with other commercially available firewalls and two additional layers of security. The Bank's WAP, web and database servers all sit behind this impressive protection system enabling dependable security.
    A commitment to creating in-house IT solutions, ensuring they fit customer's requirements and the development of new technologies are viewed with the observance of the Habib family's age-odd tradition of personal services and the offering of unmatched banking expertise.

  About Habib Bank AG Zurich
Habib bank AG Zurich was extablished in 1967 on a solid foundation of banking tradition that spans over 150 years. As a Swiss incorporated bank, it offers a high level of confidentiality, backed by strict adherence to the rules and regulations of the Federal Banking Commission.
    Traditional Banking values set in the context of international banking has determined Habib Bank AG Zurich's corporate philosophy - "Service with Security" - for over 32 years in operation. Habib Bank AG Zurich provides a complete range to flexible banking options and facilities suited to the needs of the customers, through efficient personalised service, traditional banking services, international financial planning and investment banking options are all available to individuals, small, mediumsizedfirms and large corporate clients through the bank's international network of over 35 offices and on-line at www.habibbank.com.
  BANKER MIDDLE EAST - APRIL 2001