The Internal Audit Charter defines and describes the principles and basic operational concepts of the Internal Audit within NBB. In addition, the Charter also defines the set of principles and rules which Auditors must adhere to when performing their roles. The Charter is in compliance with the current legal and regulatory framework.
To view the Internal Audit Charter please click here.
The Bank recognizes the importance of having a skilled workforce to achieve strategic and operational plans and is committed to providing an environment that is a conducive to effective performance and promotes training and development opportunities for all employees
The main purpose is to ensure having the required competencies in place to meet the performance and quality standards of functions, Line Managers are responsible to propose learning objectives and plans of their subordinates to develop their set of skills through training courses and external learning exposure.
The Bank believes in equality and fairness when it comes to its recruitment policy. The criteria of the selection process will not be biased towards a certain gender, age, disability, marital status or any other elements falling outside the scope of the Bank’s business and operational needs or requirements of the law.
In addition, the Bank fully supports the employment of qualified persons with disabilities as required by law. Accordingly, the Bank does not discriminate against the employment of persons for any job which they can competently perform.
Diversity and Inclusion is a pillar within the Bank’s Donations and Contributions Policy. It is set in place in order to embrace the differences between people in various forms including gender, age, religion, disabilities, personality, ethnicity, skill set, experience, knowledge base, and background. As such the fund under the Donations and Contributions policy is will enhance acceptance of diversification in the society.
NBB’s commitment to its social responsibility is evident through an established Donations Policy that covers Education, healthcare and Social Welfare. NBB has always been and will continue to be committed to allocate 5% of its annual net profits to the support of various programs and initiatives that fall under the 7 Donations and Contributions pillars.
In line with Bahrain’s 2030 vision to reduce the unemployment rate in the country, NBB’s recruitment is aligned with prioritizing employment opportunities to Bahraini candidates if found suitable to meet the Bank’s business and operational needs.
National Bank of Bahrain has adopted a set of operating principles which govern how risks of a significant business disruption are mitigated to protect the Bank’s customers, employees and stakeholders. The Bank has a robust and well defined business continuity program which comprises of Policies and Procedures with clearly defined roles, responsibilities and ownership for Crisis Management, Emergency Response, Business recovery and IT Disaster Recovery Planning. The Bank’s BCP steering committee, represented by the Senior Executive Management of the Bank, oversees the Board approved annual BCP strategy and road map. Regular drills and tests are conducted to cover all aspects of the Business Continuity Plan. Plans are reviewed and maintained regularly to incorporate any changes to environment, people, process and technology. The Bank’s Business Continuity function continuously works towards strengthening the business continuity preparedness of the Bank. The Bank’s Business continuity program has been developed to manage the impact of significant disruptions and will endeavour to resume business and operations to an acceptable level within a reasonable time in the event of a disaster. While the recovery time objectives (RTO) have been defined and documented in the plans, various external factors beyond our control could affect the actual recovery time. The Bank’s business continuity plan is in line with the regulatory requirements, guidelines issued by regulatory authorities from time to time and is subjected to periodic internal, external and regulatory reviews. In case of a disruption or disaster, where the customers’ access to services, transactions or branches is impacted, the Bank would move the operations as specified by the BCP to an alternate location from where the services would be rendered. The customers can also contact the Bank through the phone banking numbers. In the event of a prolonged disruption to one of the branches or other facility locations, the BCP provides for an extended relocation of staff to an alternate location, from where services would be provided. In scenarios where the customers cannot access the Bank through the normal telephone lines, the Bank’s website would be updated with relevant information.
Thus, the Bank’s Business Continuity Plan is designed to facilitate resumption of operations as quickly as possible, given the scope and severity of the significant business disruption.
The Bank’s Corporate Governance policies are crafted to promote the effective functioning of the Board and its committees and attending to the interests of stakeholders in a manner appropriate to public interest.
To view the Corporate Governance Guidelines please click here.
The objective of this policy is to provide current, former or temporarily employees of the Bank, vendors, auditors, consultants or any other service providers with the opportunity to access in good faith, the Chairperson of the Board Audit Committee, in case they observe unethical or improper practices in the Bank.
To view the Whistle Blower Policy please click here.
If you have concerns about wrongful conduct, unethical or improper activity within National Bank of Bahrain, including fraud, corruption, abuse, unethical or malicious behavior, please raise your concerns through our confidential and independent channels:
The level of confidence our clients' place in the integrity of our representatives is a significant measure of our success. To maintain your trust, we implement a values-based culture across all levels of NBB. Our Code of Conduct serves to guide the actions and decision of every member of our team.
For Members of the Board of Directors and Senior Management
The code sets out the minimum standards for banks and financing companies to follow when providing credit and other services on which fees and/or interest are payable by personal customers in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
To view the Code of Best Practice on Consumer Credit and Charging please click here.
National Bank of Bahrain B.S.C has been established in the Kingdom of Bahrain since 1957 as a conventional retail bank licensed, regulated and supervised by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB). NBB is a public share holding company listed in Bahrain Bourse.
The CBB requires all conventional banks in Bahrain to comply with the applicable laws, regulations and must implement programmes against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing by establishing and maintaining appropriate systems and controls to limit the vulnerability to Financial Crime. Specifically, as a condition of the banking license granted to each bank, the CBB requires banks to comply with all aspects of legislation and regulations related to anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing mandated by the Financial Crime Module of the CBB, including Customer Due Diligence (CDD) rules outlined in the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision paper and FATF 40 recommendations.
NBB complies in full with the relevant legislations, CBB rules and guidance of the Financial Crime Module, which is based on the principles of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Processes implemented by NBB include the following.
The objective of this policy is to govern dealings in the shares of the Bank by the Bank’s Board of Directors, senior management and such other persons who have access to insider information.
To view the Key Persons’ Dealing Policy please click here.
To access the shareholders rights’ document, please click here.
To access the Investor Complaints Framework document, please click here
NBB Group is committed to the Health & Safety, and wellbeing of its employees, customers, visitors, contractors and tenants. The Group aims to provide a safe and secure working environment by embedding Health & Safety practices into our daily operations and ensure alignment to Group’s Code of Conduct.
Group Health & Safety policy is implemented in line with the local laws and regulations, and recognizes international best practices as well as international guidelines issued by World Health Organisation (WHO). The policy describes appropriate standards to ensure Health & Safety risks are controlled within risk tolerance across our workplace. We have also established Health & Safety framework addressing areas related to risk assessments and risk mitigation in order to prevent accidents and protect Group’s staff and assets.
It is the responsibility of all staff to assist the Group with implementing and maintaining these deployed practices and take ownership in reporting any unsafe practice witnessed across the premises.
As a Group, we are committed to the continuous improvement of Health & Safety performance and increase staff awareness by periodically conducting Health & Safety and Security trainings that are reconciled with HR records.