March 23rd, 2015 BIBD was awarded the Best Retail Bank in Brunei for the year 2015 by The Asian Banker (TAB), retaining the prestigious accolade for a third year consecutive year. The Asian Banker (TAB) is the region's leading financial services research, benchmarking and intelligence consultancy.

The awards ceremony took place at TAB's Excellence in Retail Financial Services International Awards Ceremony 2015, held at the Capella Singapore Resort and Spa. Present on hand to receive the momentous award on behalf of BIBD were Mr Imran Samee, Head of Consumer Banking, along with Hjh Nurul Akmar Binti Haji Mohd Jaafar, Deputy Head of Consumer Banking, who is also Head of BIBD's Corporate Social Responsibility.

Commenting on the award, Mr Samee stated that BIBD is truly honoured and deeply humbled to be recognized as the best retail bank in Brunei for the third year in a row. This landmark is a result of our persistent efforts to transform customer experience which has led to market leading results in all aspects of our business.

In a statement, BIBD's Managing Director Javed Ahmad agreed, noting that the award goes to our customers and all Bruneians who trust us to deliver efficient services and enable their aspirations.

I am pleased and proud that BIBD has won this award for the third year running, as it highlights our commitment to our ideals and values of always striving to be the best service provider for our community. Far from resting on our laurels, this award drives us to continue to build and further support not only our own ambitions, but also the ambitions of Brunei Darussalam, as we are more committed than ever to help the country achieve its goals in line with its vision, Wawasan 2035, he continued.

In a statement from The Asian Banker, it was mentioned that in 2014, BIBD continued its dominance of the retail banking market through its impressive market- leading performance. This was reflected in sustained growth in market share, increase in revenues and profits. This was achieved by the bank's strategy of growing profitable products and segments while pulling away from less profitable ones. It also sought to reduce customer attrition by focusing on providing better value propositions and implementing better customer retention techniques.

Moreover BIBD increased its customer base which was a direct result of improvements in the productivity of its sales force and branches and strong success in payroll acquisition from target market employers.

Concurrently, the non-performing financing (NPF) rate for Consumer Financing dropped significantly in 2014 vs 2013. This was achieved through higher credit and risk appreciation within the business and improved portfolio management capabilities. The bank learnt from portfolio losses in the past and amended policies and processes to reduce probability of recurrence. It also enhanced its recovery capabilities and capacity.

About 200 senior bankers from award-winning banks in 29 countries across the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa attended the event that recognised their efforts in bringing superior products and services to their customers. The awards programme, administered by TAB and refereed by prominent global bankers, consultants and academics, is the most prestigious of its kind.

TAB is the region's most authoritative provider of strategic business intelligence to the financial services community. The Singapore-based company has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Shanghai as well as representatives in London, New York and San Francisco.