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MANAMA, Bahrain, Jan. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Citi Bahrain has celebrated the first anniversary of its Global Technology Hub,

which is on track to employ 1000 Bahraini coders over ten years. Currently, the

hub comprises of 110 Bahraini employees, out of which 91 Bahrainis have started

at the Citi Seef premises, with 19 additional hires set to join soon. Female

participants at the Hub make up 22% of the total Bahrainis, outperforming the

average of females in other Citi tech hubs around the world.

When selecting a country for its Global Technology Hub, Citi conducted a

rigorous technical coding test and interview process, with Bahraini talent

showing the highest pass rate when compared to other regions. Even more

encouraging was the level of female talent in Bahrain's candidate pool, as

Bahrain ranks first globally in multiple subindices according to Meta's

Inclusive Internet Index (2022), including female digital skills training and

STEM education, open data policies, and privacy regulations.

Commenting on the anniversary and the contribution of female participants in

the hub, HH Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Member of the Supreme

Council for Women and Chairwoman of the Bahrain Women in Fintech Committee,

said: "We are pleased to see Citi's achievements a year after the Hub's launch.

Such initiatives contribute positively to achieving the goals of the Women in

Fintech Committee working under the National Plan for the Advancement of

Bahraini Women, and the National Gender Balance in Future Sciences Initiative,

in line with the directions of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 as well as the

Kingdom's digital transformation initiatives. It makes us proud to see Bahraini

women directly contributing to the operations and growth of Citi's Global Tech

Hub."

Furthermore, commenting on the occasion, HE the Governor of the Central Bank of

Bahrain, Mr. Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, said: "The Financial services sector

has progressed over the last decade, and we expect more changes in the coming

years as the pace of digitisation increases. We are proud to see Bahraini

talents and competencies benefiting and contributing in developing global

centres affiliated with reputable financial institutions in order to promote

digital solutions in the financial sector".

According to Citi Bahrain's CEO, Michel Sawaya, Citi has witnessed great

results since the launch. "The coders had a big impact on developing our

digital platforms, such as Citi Velocity and CitiFX Pulse. Their positive

contribution helped implement important features, and subsequently take part of

bigger projects that have helped us serve Citi clients globally" he said.

Citi launched its Global Tech Hub last year as part of a strategic partnership

between Tamkeen, Bahrain's labour fund, and the Bahrain Economic Development

Board (EDB), the Kingdom's investment promotion agency. A first in the region,

the Hub aims to develop and improve digital solutions for Citi's regional and

global clients while creating 1000 tech jobs for Bahrainis over ten years.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1981419/CITI_Tech_Hub_Group.jpg

Source: Bahrain EDB