Fernbach, a provider of services for Enterprise-wide Value and Risk Management (EVRM), has established a Basel II Competence Centre in Dubai and has been selected by Commercial Bank International (CBI) to provide its FlexFinance Basel II programme.
The competence centre is a collaboration between Fernbach and Intertec Systems, a Fernbach partner that sells and implements Fernbachs FlexFinance EVRM Suite, and provides customer training and support services for software users in the United Arab Emirates and across the Middle East.
The competence centre is hosted by Intertec experts that have been trained in Fernbachs FlexFinance products and can help potential customers to become acquainted with the solutions. In an environment that simulates a real banking set-up with front and back-office applications.
“With Intertec as our partner, we are able to approach potential international customers using local knowledge and inform, train and support them. The fact that our first customer is a respected institution such as Commercial Bank International proves that our joint concept is the right one,” says Claude Melde, director of Indirect Sales, Fernbach.
Commercial Bank International (CBI) is located in Dubai and is one of the financial institutions in the United Arab Emirates. The fact that CBI staff will be trained in the Competence Centre played a crucial role in convincing CBI to opt for Fernbach and Intertec.
“We chose Fernbach to implement an up-to-date Basel II solution, largely because of the comprehensive risk management platform which provides more than simple Basel II compliance. We also appreciated the local support services for Intertec Systems and the high degree of competence shown by Fernbach staff. We are looking forward to a successful collaboration in the Middle East,” says Faris Saddi, CIO, CIB.
FlexFinance Basel II allows banks to manage risk on a company-wide basis while complying with the regulatory requirements of all three pillars of Basel II. The EVRM component helps achieve a maximum return on profit and provides banks with the means to accumulate extensive information on risk, value and revenue. The templates available with the software minimise the time for automatic data import, reducing processing times.
“Basel II is becoming compulsory according to the Central Bank of the UAE. Since the introduction of Fernbachs Basel II solution for Arab countries, conventional and Islamic banks will now find it easier to adapt to the Basel II requirements, a key benefit for CBI,” says Bassam Daoud, head of Credit Risk Management and Advances, CBI.
“We are convinced that the Competence Centre will be a total success because banks in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East will be able to contact a partner locally at any time which helps people to overcome any inhibitions they may have when showing initial interest,” says Naresh Kothari, managing director, board member and founder, Intertec Systems.