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Abu Dhabi, 13th April 2008: Following the final
regulatory approvals of the UAE Central Bank and the UAE Ministry of
Economy and Planning, His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahayan,
has inaugurated the Head Office and main branch of Reem Finance, a new
financing company in Abu Dhabi with a paid up capital of AED 400
million.
The Board of Directors of Reem Finance, Mr. Khalil Al
Foulathi (Chairman), Hafsa Al Ulama (Deputy Chairman), Ahmed Hareb Al
Falahi, Jassim Al Seddiqui and Huda Abdullah, together with Mr.
Nicholas Lehmann, CEO of Reem Finance, accompanied His Highness Sheikh
Tahnoon on a tour of the Head Office to view the various sections of
the company. During the tour, the Chairman and CEO outlined the
business model of the company to His Highness and gave notice of its
plan to open new branches around the UAE before the end of the year.
It was noted that Reem Finance will initially
commence operations with consumer finance, asset finance, corporate
financing, commercial real estate, advisory and structuring then extend
its services to include Islamic Financing. "Our vision is to become a
significant player in both the UAE and the region; we see great
potential for a focused financing business to prosper, especially with
the market's rising demand. Our future offerings will include end user
mortgages where we may support or complement parallel bank finance or
where we are a partner in a property development," said Mr. Nicholas
Lehmann, CEO of Reem Finance.
"We are fortunate that Abu Dhabi is
our home base, and therefore the location of our first branch, so we
are able to fully participate in the major development the capital city
is witnessing. With construction activities continuously gaining
momentum for the past few years on the 2030 plan, the Emirates capital
is ready for a major transformation in the near future. As part of our
committed approach we have encouraged UAE National employment at all
levels in the organization. The UAE nationals working in the company
has already exceeded 20% of the total company’s work force..” added Mr.
Lehmann.
Mr. Lehmann explained that the real estate sector in the UAE,
particularly Dubai, has seen phenomenal growth over the last few years
and was broadening in terms of international appeal and demand much
earlier than observers expected. Recent studies indicate that Abu
Dhabi’s share of the UAE mortgage market will grow steadily, reaching
40 per cent within five years. Reem Finance will over time develop
relationships with all the major developers which operate in the UAE
property markets but will offer particular expertise and inside
knowledge of the Abu Dhabi property market.
"With the region demonstrating a rise in demand
for innovative financial solutions, Reem Finance is determined to reach
significant market share in our chosen markets in the first 2 years of
operations." concluded Mr. Lehmann. The Company's strategy will mainly
focus on building long term relationships with clients based on value
and trust offering specialist asset financing, real estate development
finance, finance for business and niche consumer products.
Reem
Finance is an Abu Dhabi headquartered finance company established in
February 2008 as a financial institution providing financial services
for businesses and individuals. The company is licensed and regulated
by the Central Bank of the UAE.
Reem Finance has been established as
a joint stock company with an authorized capital of AED 400 million by
leading business groups in the UAE.
Reem Finance prides itself on
offering fresh thinking and creative approach to finance. From the
moment the customer makes an enquiry through the delivery of the agreed
product, Reem Finance believes that the process should be as simple and
stress free as possible. The company provides a wide range of
innovative products and services both standardized and structured, that
meet financial needs of individual and corporate.
The impressive
Heads office is based in Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi, and reflects the
company's commitment to quality. Customer service hours are between
8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Sunday to Thursday but corporate customers will
have access to an out of hours service.
The latest in financial
technology has been employed with the Nucleus FinnOne banking software
being implanted across all products. From the start the company agreed
a proactive Emiratisation policy and training policy with over 20% of
the workforce being UAE Nationals.
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