Arab Financial Services (AFS), a top payment solutions provider and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) have signed an agreement to launch a graduate development programme under the “Payments Academy.”

The programme will train and upskill financial services personnel and those who are engaged in technology solutions related to payments, while opening up new career prospects in this growing market segment.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the BIBF director Dr Ahmed Abdul Hameed Al Shaikh and B Chandrasekhar, CEO of AFS.

B Chandrasekhar said: “This partnership is part of AFS’ greater plan to equip financial sector professionals with new concepts, skills and tailored experiences that challenge them and address the latest trends in payments technology and the futuristic landscape of a digital economy thereby enhancing their contribution to its further development. As such, we are pleased to work alongside the BIBF, who are a fitting partner, playing a vital role in providing quality upskilling through the institute’s customized training solutions.”

Dr Al Shaikh stated: "The BIBF continues to provide capacity building programmes both within and outside the Kingdom of Bahrain, with the objective of filling the skills-gap in the financial sector. We are pleased to partner with AFS, a company that strives to deliver innovative and integrated payment and FinTech solutions to aspiring talent in the financial sector.”

New technologies are emerging in the payments industry and young professionals are keen to master these technologies and adopt them in their workstreams. To be launched in the first quarter of 2019, the “Payments Academy” programme will enable this and boast additional partnerships with leading industry players. – TradeArabia News Service