Dr. Marwan Al-Zoubi, the New Dean of the Institute
The board of directors of the Institute has, in its 136 th session, adopted resolution number 796 dated 26/9/2006 appointing Dr. Marwan "Mohammad Sharif" Al-Zoubi Dean of the Institute of Banking Studies to replace Dr. Adeeb Haddad. Dr. Al-Zoubi will assume his new position as Dean of the Institute of Banking Studies as from 1/10/2006.Dr. Al-Zoubi holds a PhD in Finance and Investment from University of North Texas in U.S.A since 1994. He got his Masters Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the same university in 1985, and his Bachelor Degree in Economics from Yarmouk University in 1981.
Dr. Al-Zoubi, before being appointed as Dean of the Institute of Banking Studies, worked at the Central Bank of Jordan since 1986 where he assumed several positions in the departments of Research and Studies and Banking Supervision and at a later stage he assumed the position of Supervisor of the Open Market Operations and Public Debt Department at the Central Bank of Jordan. He presides now the technical committee for King Abdullah the Second Award for Distinction of Governmental Performance and Transparency for the year 2006 on behalf of the Central Bank of Jordan.
However, Dr. Al-Zoubi has academic as well as practical experience in financial and investment fields, in international financial, investment portfolios and monetary economics as well as in capital markets, corporate finance and banking control and foreign exchange management. He also lectured as an assistant professor at University of North Texas, and as an adjunct professor at New York Institute of Technology, the Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences, Al- Zaytoonah University and University of Jordan . He also held many specialized training courses and workshops in subjects of his specialization at the Institute of Banking Studies and Talal Abu Ghazaleh Group. He also participated in seminars and in regional as well as international conferences held by a number of distinguished regional banks and international training institutes. Dr. Al-Zoubi has also written many books, made studies and scientific research papers and prepared advanced training materials , parts of these works are not published yet.
On this occasion, the Institute's employees express their thanks and gratitude to Dr. Adeeb Haddad for his persistent efforts in rendering successful the educational and training activities of the Institute and contributing in attaining its goals.
The Comprehensive Exam of the MBA Program
Following the academic affiliation and cooperation agreement concluded between the Institute of Banking Studies and the University of Jordan regarding the implementation of the MBA Program in Banking and Finance at the Institute's premises, a number of the programÕs students sat for the July comprehensive exam which was held on 16/7/2006 . This exam was prepared by a specialized committee formed from the InstituteÕs teaching faculty headed by the Dean of the Institute in accordance with the granting Master's Degree regulations at the University of Jordan. The InstituteÕs Board of Directors approved the resolutions of the comprehensive exam committee and forwarded them for the approval of the Council of Deans of the University of Jordan in order to issue the certificates .
Comprehensive Training Program for Beginners
The Institute of Banking Studies carried out from 6/8 to 31/8/2006 in Amman the Comprehensive Training Program for Beginners, which was attended by (41) trainees from the different financial and banking institutions in Jordan for (67) training hours . This program has been held to acquaint the new recruits with the different aspects of banking operations in order to facilitate doing the jobs they assume in their institutions and to increase their efficiency, knowledge and productivity through using the latest methods which suit the nature of their work in order to become more able to interact with the requirements of financial and banking operations.
The program was divided into two parts: the first comprised the internal banking operations which aim at increasing the participantsÕ knowledge in the procedures of the internal banking operations, and at providing them with skills and experiences related to their work such as current accounts , deposits, savings and fixed accounts, certificates of deposits and the basics of direct and indirect credit facilities, bank cheques , clearing, treasury, credit risk inquiries, bank accounting and bank guarantees.
The second part of the program comprised the external banking operations which aim at increasing the participants efficiency through understanding the different technical aspects of external banking operations, and enriching their knowledge in dealing with correspondent banks and opening accounts. This part also comprises subjects such as documentary credits, bills of collection, foreign transfers as well as cheques. The Institute of Banking Studies, however, will continue carrying out this program next year.
The Institute's Management Meetings
Dr. Adli Kandah , Director of the Association of Banks in Jordan , visited on 20/7/2006 the Institute of Banking Studies and met Dr. Adeeb Haddad , the Dean of the Institute , who acquainted the visitor with all the Institute's facilities including the buildings , class rooms , conference halls and specialized labs . At the end of the visit, Dr. Kandah commended the Institute's facilities as being one of the most developed and equipped specialized educational institutions in the Arab world. The aim of the visit was to strengthen the existing cooperation between the Institute and the Association of Banks in Jordan in order to upgrade the banking services in the Kingdom, and to qualify the Jordanian banking cadres in conformity with the developments in banking and financial activities on the local and international levels.
The Financial and Administrative Assistant to the Dean on an Official Mission to the United Kingdom
In view of the Institute's eagerness to be acquainted with the latest developments in the international banking arena , and to introduce them to the cadres of the banking and financial sector of all managerial levels , The Financial and Administrative Assistant to the Dean made a special visit to the United Kingdom during the third quarter of this year and met the director of Bond Associates Ltd. and the director of MIS Training Institute to discuss the ways and means of strengthening the existing cooperation with these institutions and benefiting from their long and vast experience in combatting money laundering as well as all aspects of bank forgery and fraud, in addition to risk management , bank audit and control .
Both Bond Associates and MIS Training Institute agreed in these meetings to send experts and specialized lecturers during 2007 to carry out a number of seminars on the latest developments in the mentioned fields that will benefit the cadres of the banking and financial sector in Jordan .
Specialized Banking Seminars Held at the Institute During the Third Quarter 2006
The Institute of Banking Studies held during the third quarter of this year four specialized seminars as follows:
1. "Preparation and Control of Bank Budgets"
This seminar took place during the period 9/7 - 13/7/2006 in cooperation with Progressive Banking Solutions/ Ireland and seventeen trainees attended it from different banks and financial institutions. The seminar focused on all aspects of budgeting for banks, their preparation stages and elements of success, as well as on preparation of quarterly budgets and marketing budgets, forecasting and planning using Excel, and the relationship between strategic planning and budget preparation, control and assessment, in addition to methods of distributing profits among bank branches, as well as practical cases study.
2. "Risk Based Internal Auditing"
The Institute carried out this seminar from 6/8 to 9/8/2006 in cooperation with MIS Training Institute / UK. The seminar included the audit activities in general and how the risk based internal auditing is done and the methods of benefiting from risk management and auditing experiences in order to raise efficiency and productivity in banks as well as establishing a strong base for auditing and highlighting its relationship with corporate governance. The seminar also focused on writing reports of the risk based internal auditing. Seventeen trainees attended this seminar from various institutions of the Jordanian banking and financial sector.
3. "Cash and Market Liquidity Management"
This seminar took place from 3/9 to 7/9/2006 in cooperation with Sigma Associates / UK and (19) trainees from various banks and financial institutions attended it. The seminar discussed all aspects of liquidity management and its involved risks and how it is measured as well as the mechanism of developing and improving its management in conformity with the Basel accord. The seminar also focused on the techniques of cash management in banks and specialized lending organizations in addition to the methods of developing it through in depth study of practical cases.
4. "Bank Fraud Prevention, Detection and Effective Recovery"
In cooperation with Bond Associates Ltd. / UK, the Institute of Banking Studies held this seminar from 17/9 to 20/9/2006 with an attendance of (14) trainees from various institutions of the banking and financial sector. This seminar focused on all aspects of bank fraud, methods of combatting and preventing it, and using modern techniques for detecting it. The seminar also discussed electronic fraud, the mechanisms and software used to prevent it, as well as preventing employees from committing fraud and setting up plans for quick response to the fraud attempts, in addition to the management of evidence sources and their presentation to the court in an appropriate way. The seminar also discussed the relationship between bank fraud and money laundering operations in view of the accelerating developments occurring in the bank services and products world, as well as the development of methods used in bank fraud on the international level.
Special Banking Courses for the Local Banking Sector Institutions
In the context of the existing cooperation between the Institute and the Jordanian banks in order to raise the efficiency of the employees in these banks, and provide them with the necessary experience and knowledge for success in their work, the Institute of Banking Studies held three special courses at its premises for (69) employees of HSBC Middle East Bank on "Detecting Bank Counterfeit and Forgery" from 6/8 to 24/8/2006. The Institute also held special courses for (22) employees of the Islamic International Arab Bank on Word 2000, Excel 2000, Typing Skills in Arabic and English Languages from 6/8 to 31/8/2006. Cairo Amman Bank, on the other hand, held two training courses for (40) of its employees on "Selling Skills" and "Team Management and Construction" at the Institute's premises in Amman. The Institute also held the Comprehensive Training Program of Beginners" for (20) trainees of Cairo Amman Bank branches in the north of the Kingdom during the third quarter of this year.
The Institute will also carry out a number of training courses on various subjects for the employees of several Jordanian banks during the fourth quarter of this year in pursuit of its policy to raise the standard of the Jordanian banking and financial sector cadres in all different fields.
Results of the Comprehensive Exam for Summer 2006
Twenty seven students of Financial and Banking Studies Diploma Program of the Institute of Banking Studies sat for the Comprehensive ExamÓ of Summer 2006, in both the Ordinary and Islamic specializations . The percentage of success for the InstituteÕs students was (68%), whereas the percentage of success on the Kingdom level for the Financial and Administrative Program was (52.25%) . However, the total number of graduates reached (1511) since the foundation of the Institute and until the end of the academic year 2005/2006.