Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) Governor Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj on Sunday held talks with Hiroshi Okuda, special advisor to the prime minister of Japan, and his accompanying delegation.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, particularly the development and growth of the banking and financial sectors of Bahrain and Japan.

The areas of interest for Okuda included the CBB’s experience and knowledge of Islamic finance, Bahrain’s history in education, and the affects of the global economy.

Al Maraj explained Bahrain’s pioneering role in Islamic Finance and its unchallenged precedence in setting up the necessary foundation for its development.

“As a well-established financial centre, Bahrain has played a key role in innovating the development of Islamic banking, which is one of the fastest growing segments of Bahrain’s financial services industry,” he noted.

The Japanese delegation was accompanied by Takeshi Kondo, Ambassador of Japan to Bahrain.-TradeArabia News Service