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aces wild dewitt KUWAIT CITY, Dec 07: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) was named Bank of the Year 2024 - Kuwait by The Banker, a leading financial publication owned by the Financial Times Group. KFH's second consecutive win of this prestigious award underscores its excellence and leadership in the Kuwaiti banking sector. It further solidifies its position as Kuwait's largest bank by market capitalization and the world's second-largest Islamic bank. Aligning with the criteria for selecting winners, The Banker Awards recognize institutions that demonstrate strong financial performance and strategic advantages, such as investing in new technology or innovating to expand their business and increase customer satisfaction. A panel of global industry experts judges the Banker Awards, considering criteria and performance improvements over the past 12 months. Deputy General Manager Corporate Banking and Syndication at KFH, Nasser Alshaya received the award at The Banker Awards ceremony, held in London, in the presence of CEOs, CFOs, and senior executives from financial institutions worldwide. Record financial performance Alshaya expressed KFH's pride in this global recognition, highlighting the bank's leading position and its consistent ability to achieve record performance. This achievement reflects KFH's solid institutional approach and ambitious vision, aligned with the latest global banking trends. He emphasized that KFH remains committed to sustainable growth, underpinned by prudent risk management and investment in high-quality assets. By focusing on core banking activities, operational efficiency, and exceptional customer experiences for both retail and corporate customers, KFH aims to solidify its leading position in the Islamic finance industry. Largest merger deal Alshaya emphasized that KFH has achieved significant milestones in 2024, a testament to its immense potential. This makes it an exceptional banking entity, deserving of prestigious awards and top rankings. Among KFH's notable achievements is the successful cross-border acquisition of the Ahli United Bank - Bahrain Group, one of the largest transactions of its kind in the region. Additionally, KFH completed the largest merger in the history of the Kuwaiti banking sector, merging with (formerly) Ahli United Bank - Kuwait. The bank integrated operational processes in record time while maintaining high efficiency. This transition was seamless for shareholders, customers, and employees. Furthermore, the bank's strong financial performance is evidenced by its net profit for shareholders, which reached KD 482.9 million by the end of the third quarter of 2024. This marks the highest quarterly profit in KFH's history and in the Kuwaiti banking sector. Latest digital banking solutions Alshaya added that KFH's digital banking services and technological infrastructure have been significantly developed, in line with its strategy of building a comprehensive, high-quality digital financial services and solutions ecosystem. He noted that the bank's significant success in this area has led to a strategic shift toward enhancing customer experience and fulfilling their aspirations. Sustainable banking model He explained that KFH's award win reflects its success in building a sustainable banking model incorporating ESG dimensions. The bank's commitment to responsible practices and sustainability adds value for both shareholders and customers. It's worth noting that the Bank of the Year Awards are among the most prestigious and sought-after awards in the global banking industry. These awards recognize excellence across over 120 countries worldwide.

By Jack Phillips and Sam Dorman Contributing Writer President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday announced former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his nominee for U.S. attorney general, moving swiftly to replace former nominee Matt Gaetz, who withdrew from contention earlier in the day. “Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on violent criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida families,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Bondi also served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019. The president-elect said that as the state’s first female attorney general, Bondi “worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of fentanyl overdose deaths, which have destroyed many families across our country.” Bondi, at Trump’s request, served on his administration’s opioid and drug abuse commission. “Pam will refocus the (Department of Justice) to its intended purpose of fighting crime, and making America safe again,” Trump wrote. “I have known Pam for many years — she is smart and tough, and is an America first fighter, who will do a terrific job as attorney general!” In 2019, Bondi joined Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in the Senate, at the end of which he was acquitted. As a prosecutor, Bondi tried cases ranging from domestic violence to capital murder. During her tenure as Florida’s top lawyer, she advanced reforms targeting corruption with opioid prescriptions. Bondi is a well-known figure in Trump’s circle. She’s been a vocal critic of the criminal cases against Trump. In one radio appearance, she said Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith and other prosecutors were trying to make names for themselves by “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.” She has served as a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers. In response to the announcement, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, described Bondi as “a brilliant attorney with a long career of fighting for the Constitution.” He added on social media platform X that he is looking forward to the Senate “QUICKLY confirming her to be our next attorney general.” Gaetz Withdraws Nomination Gaetz, who withdrew from contention earlier on Thursday, wrote on social media that Bondi is “a stellar selection.” In an earlier statement, Gaetz said, “It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition.” Gaetz said he met with senators a day earlier and had “thoughtful feedback” and received “incredible support” from many of them. Gaetz faced congressional, federal and media scrutiny over allegations that would have complicated his path to confirmation as the nation’s top federal prosecutor. Trump responded to Gaetz’s announcement in a social media post, thanking Gaetz for his efforts in seeking approval from senators for the U.S. attorney general role. “He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump wrote. “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” The House Ethics Committee announced on Wednesday that it will not release its final report involving an investigation into Gaetz — at least for the time being. Last year, the former Florida lawmaker said in a statement that the DOJ had ended a related sex trafficking investigation with no charges against him. He has also categorically denied claims related to the ethics panel’s investigation, noting that the DOJ ended that probe. “The Department of Justice has confirmed to congressman Gaetz’s attorneys that their investigation has concluded and that he will not be charged with any crimes,” a statement from his office said last year. In the meantime, several Senate Republicans expressed concern about the possibility that he would be nominated, and some had declined to publicly state whether they would confirm him. “He’s got an uphill climb,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said in response to a question from reporters earlier this week. “Does anybody honestly think that a lot of that [Ethics Committee] testimony is not going to be re-engineered?” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters on Tuesday. “I mean, we are creating a false crisis because the reality is all that information is going to be on display at the hearing. Think Brett Kavanaugh.” Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, told reporters, “We all know what Washington is like,” adding that it “leaks like a wet paper bag.” Gaetz resigned from his congressional seat on Nov. 13 after he was named as Trump’s choice for attorney general. However, he had won reelection for the upcoming Congress on Nov. 5. On Friday, he told podcaster and conservative activist Charlie Kirk that he would not be going back to the House of Representatives. “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch,“ Gaetz said on Friday. “I do not intend to join the 119th Congress; there are a number of fantastic Floridians who’ve stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service.” Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.Why are Israel and the US Salivating Over Syria’s Break-Up?

Sparkling 30-foot crab trap Christmas tree erected at Prince Rupert's WinterfestBanking technology company Mbanq has debuted Mbanq Comet, an AI-powered digital loan origination platform. Comet integrates with core banking systems and is designed to allow banks, credit unions and FinTechs to streamline their loan decision process without interrupting their existing operations, according to a Monday (Nov. 25) press release . “Mbanq Comet is a vital tool for financial institutions looking to modernize their lending process,” Lars Rottweiler , chief technology officer at Mbanq, said in the release. “Its rapid deployment, compatibility with any legacy system, and advanced AI-powered tools make it a cornerstone of digital transformation in the financial industry.” In addition, Comet enhances the borrower experience with “a fully digital and user-friendly lending journey,” per the release, with credit scoring and risk assessment capabilities that comply with regulations such as ECOA and UDAAP. “Additionally, the platform’s automation tools reduce operational costs while maintaining top-tier security and compliance standards,” the release said. As PYMNTS wrote earlier this year, AI-powered loan decisioning tools “are becoming the new norm,” and have started to transform the way working capital and financing are extended to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). “AI has introduced a data-driven paradigm into the lending landscape, replacing subjective evaluations with objective analyses of vast amounts of information,” that report said. “Machine learning algorithms now assess a multitude of factors, including financial history, credit scores and business performance metrics, to make lending decisions.” And in many ways, this shift has turned character-based lending into something of a dying art, at a time when SMBs can’t easily get loans, even smaller ones, as Galileo Financial Technologies Chief Product Officer David Feuer told PYMNTS in an interview last year. “Banks are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of data and their use of AI to make intelligent decisions about who to make their offers to,” Feuer said. One of the benefits of AI-powered loan decisioning tools is their speed and efficiency, that report noted. Traditional character-based lending often involved long evaluations and personal interactions, which could cause delays in accessing much-needed working capital. “AI enables quick and automated assessments, providing SMBs with timely financing solutions to support their growth and operations,” PYMNTS wrote.

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BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of people fled the central Syrian city of Homs, the country’s third largest, as insurgents seized two towns on the outskirts Friday, positioning themselves for an assault on a potentially major prize in their march against President Bashar Assad. The move, reported by pro-government media and an opposition war monitor, was the latest in the stunning advances by opposition fighters over the past week that have so far met little resistance from Assad’s forces. A day earlier, fighters captured the central city of Hama , Syria’s fourth largest, after the army said it withdrew to avoid fighting inside the city and spare the lives of civilians. The insurgents, led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have vowed to march to Homs and the capital, Damascus, Assad’s seat of power. Videos circulating online showed a highway jammed with cars full of people fleeing Homs, a city with a large population belonging to Assad’s Alawite sect, seen as his core supporters. If Assad’s military loses Homs, it could be a crippling blow. The city, parts of which were controlled by insurgents until 2014, stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where Assad enjoys wide support. Homs province is Syria’s largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. The city is also home to one of Syria’s two state-run oil refineries. Pressure on the government intensified from multiple directions. Opposition protesters stormed security posts and army positions in the southern province of Sweida, opposition activists said. U.S.-backed Kurdish forces who control eastern and northeastern Syria began to encroach on government-held territory. Offensive leaves Assad reliant on Russia After years of largely being bottled up in a northwest corner of the country, the insurgents burst out a week ago, captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest , and have kept advancing since. Government troops have repeatedly fallen back. The sudden offensive has flipped the tables on a long-entrenched stalemate in Syria’s nearly 14-year-old civil war. Along with HTS, the fighters include forces of an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Turkey has denied backing the offensive , though experts say insurgents would not have launched it without the country's consent. HTS’s leader, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that Assad’s government was on the path to falling, propped up only by Russia and Iran. “The seeds of the regime’s defeat have always been within it,” he said. “But the truth remains, this regime is dead.” A key question about Assad’s ability to fight back is how much top ally Russia — whose troops back Assad’s forces — will throw support his way at a time when it is tied up in the war in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he planned to discuss the developments in Syria with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts at a meeting Friday in the Qatari capital, Doha. In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, he said international actors were backing the insurgents’ advances and that he would discuss “the way to cut the channels of financing and arming them.” Meanwhile, Russia’s embassy in Syria issued a notice reminding Russian citizens that they may use commercial flights to leave the country “in view of the difficult military-political situation.” The foreign ministers of Iran, Iraq and Syria — three close allies — gathered Friday in Baghdad to consult on the rapidly changing war. Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh said the current developments may pose “a serious threat to the security of the region as a whole.” Assad opponents move in center, south and east The insurgent fighters on Friday took over the central towns of Rastan and Talbiseh, putting them 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Homs, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor. “The battle of Homs is the mother of all battles and will decide who will rule Syria,” said Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory’s chief. Pro-government Sham FM said the insurgents entered Rastan and Talbiseh without facing any resistance. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian military. The Observatory said Syrian troops had left Homs. But the military denied that in comments reported by the state news agency SANA, saying troops were reinforcing their positions in the city and were “ready to repel” any assault. In eastern Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces coalition said it had moved into the government-held half of the city of Deir el-Zour, apparently without resistance. One of the main cities in the east, Deir el-Zour had long been split between the government on the western side of the Euphrates River and the SDF on the eastern side. The SDF also said it took control of further parts of the border with Iraq. That appeared to bring it closer to the government-held Boukamal border crossing. The crossing is a vital for the government because it is the gateway to the corridor to Iran, a supply line for Iran-backed fighters, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. At the same time, insurgents seized Syria’s sole crossing to Jordan, according to opposition activists. Jordan announced it was closing its side of the crossing. Lebanon also closed all but one of its border crossings with Syria. Worsening economy could hurt Assad’s war effort The opposition assault has struck a blow to Syria’s already decrepit economy. On Friday, the U.S. dollar was selling on Syria’s parallel market for about 18,000 pounds, a 25% drop from a week ago. When Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011, a dollar was valued at 47 pounds. The drop further undermines the purchasing power of Syrians at a time when the U.N. has warned that 90% of the population is below the poverty line. Syria’s economy has been hammered for years by the war, Western sanctions, corruption and an economic meltdown in neighboring Lebanon, Syria’s main gate to the outside world. Damascus residents told The Associated Press that people are rushing to markets to buy food, fearing further escalation. The worsening economy could be undermining the ability of Syria’s military to fight, as the value of soldiers’ salaries melts away while the insurgents are flush with cash. Syria’s military has not appeared to put up a cohesive counteroffensive against the opposition advances. SANA on Friday quoted an unnamed military official as saying the Syrian and Russian air forces were striking insurgents in Hama province, killing dozens of fighters. Syria’s defense minister said in a televised statement late Thursday that government forces withdrew from Hama as “a temporary tactical measure” and vowed to gain back lost areas. “We are in a good position on the ground,” Gen. Ali Mahmoud Abbas said, saying troops remained “at the gates of Hama.” He spoke before the opposition advanced further south toward Homs. He said the insurgents, whom he described as “takfiri” or Muslim extremists, are backed by foreign countries. He did not name the countries but appeared to be referring to Turkey and the United States. ___ Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report. Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press

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