The chairman of Bahrain-based Islamic lender Al Baraka Banking Group expects a 7 percent rise in profit this year.

"It's about 7 percent," said Sheikh Saleh Kamel when asked by Reuters on the sidelines of an economic conference in Beirut about profit growth in 2009.

Bahrain's largest Islamic lender by market value posted a 2.8 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit to $40.86 million.

Al Baraka, which operates in 12 countries in Africa and the Middle East, as well as Pakistan and Indonesia, has said it will push ahead with expansion plans. -Reuters