Khartoum – 26th April 2011: Al Salam Bank – Sudan, has won the ‘Bank of the year’ award after securing the first position in Global Finance magazine’s recent ranking for leading Sudanese banks. The magazine attributed the bank’s success to its ability to secure a notable growth in revenues and financial assets in addition to forming key strategic relationships with various industries. The bank has also made huge progress in its pricing, services and product offering.

Commenting on the award winning, Hussein Mohammed Salem Al Meeza, Deputy Vice-Chairman said, “Winning this prestigious award for the 2nd time is another proof of the tireless efforts that the bank management and staff have been exerting over the years to ensure world class Islamic banking services in Sudan. Our services’ quality, reputation and customer satisfaction rates have all played a key role in positioning us amongst the top 25 leading banks in Africa according to the magazine.”

Al Salam Bank has recorded a net profit of SDG 36.2 million (about USD 14.45 million) by end of fiscal year 2010, after deducting the tax fees and zakat, compared to SDG 22.6 million (about USD 9 million) by the end of fiscal year 2009, achieving a record growth of 60%.

The bank was able to achieve excellent financial results at the end of 2010 despite global and local economy challenges and has maintained a competitive level, in addition to occupying a rank on the list of top ten banks in Sudan according to key financial indicators.

The bank’s assets grew by 23% reaching SDG 1.337 billion (about USD 505 million) by the end of 2010, compared to SDG 1.86 billion by the end of 2009. The bank has also succeeded in raising the value of customer deposits to SDG 924 million recording a growth of 25%, compared to SDG 741 million by the end of 2009.

Damascus, Syria, July 21 2010: Amadeus Syria, a leading technology provider to the travel and tourism industry, today announced the launch of Amadeus SMS solution for travel agencies in Syria.

This web-based tool will allow travel agents to update their customers with their latest travel itinerary via SMS. Travel agents will be able to alert travellers on important travel details, including travel itineraries, e-tickets, flight information, Passenger Name Record (PNR) data, and any changes to the Ticketing Time Limit (the date by which a booked ticket must be issued) through their mobile phones. Amadeus SMS is fully integrated into the Amadeus Selling Platform, allowing travel agents to quickly generate traveller information directly from the Amadeus PNR database.

Amadeus Syria, who launched its direct operations in January 2009 is a joint partnership between Amadeus and Syrian Arab Airlines, and today has a market share of over 70 percent.

“At Amadeus our focus is to understand the travellers’ changing preferences and develop solutions that help travel agents respond to these changes efficiently.  Amadeus SMS solution is one such product that has been developed with the travel agents and their customers in mind. The new SMS solution corresponds closely with the trend of technology convergence on mobile devices, and we are pleased to be the first to introduce this concept in Syria,” said Mazen Kokash, General Manager, Amadeus Syria.

Additionally, Saudi Arabian Airlines has migrated to the next generation Amadeus Altéa customer management solution and Amadeus e-commerce solutions as part of a long-term IT partnership. The objective of the partnership is to improve the traveller experience through enhanced recognition, speed up passenger processing with greater automation and drive more sales and operational efficiencies.

Following last month’s migration, the airline has already registered a significant increase in bookings with online sales now representing over 20 per cent of total bookings which shows a healthy growth on previous figures.

“Our partnership with leading players in the travel industry demonstrates the confidence they have in our solutions, of offering specialized services and helping our partners achieve greater productivity and efficiency through Amadeus,” added Mazen.

2010 edition to welcome 759 companies from 57 countries representing 2,188 brands

May 11, 2010

Local and foreign building and construction specialists, as well as property developers and investors will converge at the Damascus Fairground in Syria tomorrow (Wednesday, May 12, 2010) for the opening of the 16th edition of the International Exhibition for Construction - BUILDEX Syria 2010. Over the next five days, 759 companies from 57 countries representing 2,188 brands will showcase construction and building products and technologies aimed at maximizing opportunities within Syria’s rapidly growing construction and building sectors.

This year’s exhibition, being held under the patronage of Eng. Mohammad Naji Otri - Syrian Prime Minister – is being sponsored by DHL Worldwide Express, Grohe, ISOBIT, Sinjab and Diab Al Youssef, which will have special stands. Event organizer, Arabian Group for Exhibitions and Conferences has extended the exhibition area to accommodate a 10 per cent increase in exhibitor turnout over last year. The exhibition will cover Building and Construction, Heavy Machinery, HVAC and Water Technology, Stone and Marble, Paints and Insulation, Lighting Systems, and Construction and Development Financing in addition to other related industries.

“Last year, around 27 per cent of exhibiting companies used BUILDEX Syria as a springboard for establishing a presence in Syria. We expect to post a bigger figure this time in line with growing international interest in Syria’s real estate sector, which has managed to overtake GDP growth in four of the five past years. We have an unparalleled lineup of exhibitors who represent the top names in construction, building, HVAC and Water Technology, all of whom are eager to leverage opportunities in a young and relatively untapped Syrian market,” said Alaa Hilal, CEO of Arabian Group for Exhibitions and Conferences.

Taiwan will participate nationally at BUILDEX Syria for the first time, along with the national Turkish, Italian and Egyptian participation, which are present annually at the show. During the event, the Italian Embassy with Milan Chamber of Commerce and Turrentino Chamber of Commerce will have a special stand, which will assist in providing all the necessary information for fair visitors. Furthermore, countries from the UAE, KSA, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran and China will also exhibit.

More than 110 companies from Turkey will participate in BUILDEX 2010, in addition to the participation of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, and Syrian agents and distributors of Turkish products in Syria. It is expected that the fair will attract more than 3,000 visitors from Turkey. Moreover, Egypt’s national participation is represented by 47 companies and brands mainly specialized in the construction sector and related industries.

BUILDEX Syria 2010 will be featuring major international companies such as Daaboul Industrial Group (Syria); Aquatec India; Davis Langdon (Lebanon); EDAMA GmbH (Germany); Emirates Glass LLC (UAE); Euroco-Solar (France); Florq Co. (Taiwan); Getzner (Austria); Homag Middle East (Jordan); Industrial Chemical & Resins Co. Ltd (Saudi Arabia); and Inoxdadi S.R.L. (Italy) along with many renowned brands and companies.

Aiming at facilitating the participation and attendance of BUILDEX 2010, Arabian Group for Exhibitions and Conferences haves launched several new programs and services including ‘Plan Your Visit to BUILDEX’ service via www.buildexonline.com. The company will also implement “Park Your Car and Get on the Bus” initiative aiming at encouraging the use of the public free transportation offered to the visitors of BUILDEX throughout the exhibition.

• BUILDEX Syria expects 10 per cent turnout hike as Syrian properties and construction offer exceptional investment returns

• 21% of Middle Eastern exhibitors at BUILDEX are from UAE

April 28, 2010

Investors from the Gulf and beyond are showing greater interest in Syria’s burgeoning real estate sector, which has managed to outpace GDP growth in the country over the past few years. Arab investors operating in Syria affirm that domestic property projects normally generate substantial returns on investment while posing minimal risks. This positive outlook is expected to sustain the local real estate industry’s average annual growth rate of 8.8 per cent.

Syria’s real estate sector has grown significantly after reforms were implemented less than a decade ago to allow private and foreign industry participation. Many mega-projects are now currently being undertaken under joint ventures among Syrians, other Arabs and foreign investors. Property developments employ around 15 per cent of the national population, and with almost all private banks in the country offering housing loans at longer payment periods, lighter collateral requirements and smaller down payments, the industry is expected to attain higher growth as the recession slowly subsides, leading to an increase in demands for new construction technologies and building material.

The 16th edition of the International Exhibition for Construction of BUILDEX Syria 2010 that will be held under the patronage of Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Al-Otri from May 12 to 16, 2010 at the Damascus International Fairgrounds in Syria will showcase the latest innovations and products in the building and construction sectors, in addition to local developments aimed at meeting elevated demand for residential and commercial spaces in Syria. The exhibition is held in collaboration with DHL Worldwide Express, Grohe, ISOBIT, Sinjab, and Diab Al Youssef acting as major sponsors. Event organizer Arabian Group for Exhibitions & Conferences has extended the exhibition area of BUILDEX Syria beyond 150,000 sqm in anticipation of a 10 per cent increase in exhibitors’ turnout over 2009. More than 21 per cent of the Middle Eastern exhibitors at BUILDEX Syria, excluding Syrian exhibitors, are from the UAE.

“Syria’s relatively young real estate sector remains largely untapped and offers excellent returns on investment, and so investors from areas such as the Gulf and Europe are keen to enter into this expanding  market. Moreover, the Syrian Government has pledged to earmark billions of dollars into the development of infrastructure and tourism, which are major property business drivers. There is a substantial imbalance between supply and demand which BUILDEX Syria aims to help address,” said Alaa Hilal, CEO of Arabian Group.

Over the past three years, most of the real estate investments emerging in Syria have been Arab-Syrian partnerships. The country expects real GDP growth to rise to 3.9 per cent in 2010 and 4.2 per cent in 2011, with over 4 per cent of the annual income to be generated by property-related activities. The Syrian Government plans to establish 20 new industrial cities to encourage and attract foreign investments. 

The 2009 edition of BUILDEX Syria welcomed 225,000 visitors, 26 per cent of whom were from other countries. This year will feature 734 companies from 56 countries representing 2,129 brands covering Building and Construction, Heavy Machinery, HVAC and Water Technology, Stone and Marble, Paints and Insulation, Lighting Systems, and other industries in the construction and development mortgage sectors. 

The international lineup of exhibitors includes prominent industry names in the construction sector such as APEX Metal (Turkey); CODE S.A.R.L (Lebanon); MESC Group (Saudi Arabia); Dubai Cable Company (UAE); Modern Chemical Industry company (Egypt); MCI (Egypt); Kripsasis Electronics and Machinery (Greece); ABLOY OY (Finland); Schilliger Holz (Switzerland); Banninger (Germany); EUROCO – SOLAR SA (France); EHWA Diamond (Korea); Chang Chun Lumber Co., Ltd. (Taiwan); and HXF Saw Co., Ltd. (China).