SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2015 BUSINESS

Qatar Airways launches ‘the FCB Holiday’

DOHA: Airways officially launched FC , Javier Faus. Also, joining the Group Chief Executive, Holidays Division. Airways global network through its state- their new marketing campaign support- head table, were two of FCB’s First Team Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are pleased to The airline also recently launched the of-the-art hub in Doha, the Hamad ing the three-year partnership between players, Gerard PiquÈ and Neymar da Silva, launch our new campaign, featuring some Join The Club, social media contest, cele- International Airport. the airline and FC Barcelona at a press who flew to Doha for the event. Also, in of the FCB stars and football greats. We brating the first anniversary of the part- Additionally, Qatar Airways signed an conference held in Doha, Qatar. attendance was Manel Arroyo, Vice hope that our passengers and football nership, while giving the opportunity to interline agreement with Vueling last After the huge success of the first TV President Media Area of FC Barcelona. fans around the world enjoy this heart-felt millions of fans to win exciting prizes, September, which is helping to increase spot, The Land of FC Barcelona, depicting Starring FC Barcelona starsLionel Messi, journey as the players travel to a few of including Qatar Airways flights to attend the number of passengers to and from the imaginary world of FC Barcelona Neymar Jr, Gerard Piqué, Andrés Iniesta Qatar Airways’ destinations.” an FCB match in Barcelona. Europe, in addition to improving trans- where Messi taught football skills and and Luis Suerez, Qatar Airways’ new com- In the year and a half since the partner- Operating to Barcelona since 2010, European traffic, and long-haul connec- Iniesta was an artist, the five-star airline mercial has the players visiting a number ship took effect, Qatar Airways has Qatar Airways recently announced plans tions. unveiled their second campaign at a press of destinations within the airline’s exten- launched the hugely successful The Land to increase Doha-Barcelona flights to a Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in conference held today at the Four Seasons sive network including the Maldives, of FCB campaign, officially sponsored the double-daily service, bringing the fre- just 18 years of operation, to the point Hotel in Doha, Qatar. In attendance were Dallas, Paris and Seoul. The spot which will FC Barcelona Asia tour, introduced the FC quency up from 10 to 14 flights per week. where today it is flying a modern fleet of leading representatives of both organiza- be aired in English, Arabic and Catalan Barcelona custom-designed Boeing 777 The increase in service will meet the 146 aircraft to more than 140 key business tions, Qatar Airways Group Chief takes a humorous look at the players par- and launched unique tour and match demand from both cities and give passen- and leisure destinations across Europe, the Executive, Akbar Al Baker, and Vice ticipating in a number of different activi- packages for fans looking to visit gers the opportunity to connect with Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North President Economic and Strategic Area of ties at each destination. Barcelona through the Qatar Airways more than 140 destinations in Qatar America and South America. Yousef Haaji winner of World Forum for FDI to explore Zain’s $10,000 cash prize cross-border finance options KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunica- Daas. Any eligible customer wishing to enter tions company in Kuwait, announced yester- the draw may do so by simply subscribing to Shurooq to host panel of leading global experts day Yousef Gholoum Haaji winner of the any of Zain’s selected Internet or smartphone $10,000 cash prize in the first weekly draw that postpaid bundles, where they will receive a cer- was launched this month. The daily and weekly tain amount of points that they can collect to SHARJAH: The Sharjah Investment draw campaign is running until the 28th of be entitled to enter either the daily, weekly, or and Development Authority February, 2015, with grand draws. (Shurooq) is delighted to announce the grand prize draw Today’s announce- that a panel of distinguished being held on 1 March, ment is a testament of experts in the financial services 2015. Zain’s tireless efforts in industry will lead a session on cross- Zain further rewarding its customer border financing options for FDI at announced the names base, the largest in the the twelfth World Forum for Foreign of the daily draw winners country. The promo- Direct Investment, to be held in for the first week: Suha tion further demon- Sharjah. Musaad Al-Haddad, strates Zain’s pivotal The panel - titled: ‘Vanishing Jaber Saad Al-Hadhairi, role in Kuwait’s tele- Frontiers: Cross-border Financing Saleh Mohammed com sector, sparing no Options for FDI’ - will be the third of Saleh, Mohammed effort in introducing five panels in the forum, to be held Saleh Ibrahim, Aamer exceptional offerings at 3.30 pm on February 9 at Al- Ghazzai Al-Enzi, Layila for technology and Jawaher Reception and Convention Mohammed Bahbahani, smartphone enthusi- Centre Moderating is Mark Beer, and Fahad Khalaf Al- asts. OBE, Chief Executive Officer & Registrar of the DIFC Courts. He will be joined by panellists Mohsin Ali Burgan Bank partners with VIVA Nathani, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank UAE, Telecom to offer special packages Muzaffar Hisham, Group Head of Islamic Banking and Chief Executive KUWAIT: Burgan Bank in collaboration VIVA to VIVA local calls and 5000 minutes of Officer of Maybank Islamic Berhad, with VIVA Telecom; announced the launch local calls, unlimited VIVA to VIVA SMS’s and and Julio de Quesada, Head of of special tailored packages to suit Premier 1000 local SMS’s, as well as unlimited local Corporate and Investment Banking Banking customers’ lifestyles. Premier data usage for a subsidized rate of KD 49 Group at Mashreq bank PSC. Banking customers can now avail excep- per month. In a climate where stress-tested tional rates of specially tailored packages. Upon subscribing to either packages, banks are becoming increasingly Burgan Bank’s Premier Banking cus- customers will avail multiple features like cautious in their lending, the ses- tomers can now subscribe to any of the unlimited internet access, a vanity number sion will explore alternative sources two VIVA packages depending on their dai- (Gold and Platinum), opportunity to receive of finance for overseas projects. ly telecommunications’ need. The first pack- up to 3 devices in a single commitment, 5 The variety of avenues to be age entitles customers to 3000 minutes of extra lines in one contract under VIVA’s examined will include financing local calls, 60 minutes of International calls , Family Share Services, receive 130 points in from multilateral agencies and 1000 local and international SMS’s, as well VIVA’s loyalty program including as a wel- development banks, public-private infrastructure projects, was estab- border finance is a remarkable executives from local and internation- as unlimited local data usage for a subsi- come registration gift. partnerships, sovereign wealth lished in July last year by the BRICS opportunity to explore the most al organizations, investment promo- dized rate of KD 36 per month. The second Burgan Bank’s customer-centric funds, venture capital, and busi- states: Brazil, Russia, India, China pressing issues facing the industry tion agencies and economic develop- package entitles customers to unlimited approach aims at providing customers with ness angels. As part of this, there and South Africa. Meanwhile, with some of the world’s leading ment organizations. International rewarding opportunities and matchless will also be a special focus on recent studies show that the experts. We are delighted that guest speakers at this year’s event will services to exceed their expectations. It is Islamic finance. Islamic finance market is now Sharjah, with its rapidly growing include Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inven- worth mentioning that the bank has previ- These topics are highly relevant worth more than $2 trillion, having and robustly regulated financial tor of the World Wide Web, and The Rt ously partnered with VIVA Telecom to offer in the current global financial envi- doubled in size over the past four services sector, will host this clear- Hon. the Lord Mandelson, a former bank customers who own a VIVA line a con- ronment. Global sovereign wealth years. ly vital discussion”. long-serving British cabinet member venient and an instant method of mobile funds, for example, have recorded Marwan bin Jassim Al-Sarkal, The World Forum for Foreign and European Commissioner for bill payment. new records of activity over the CEO of Sharjah Investment and Direct Investment, considered to be Trade. In previous years the Forum has For more information about Burgan last couple of years, with one of Development Authority “Shurooq” the world’s premier FDI platform, is been held in many of the world’s lead- Bank services as well as its latest promo- the most active being the UAE’s said: “With traditional sources of being held in the region for the firm ing investment centres, including tions, customers are required to visit their Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. financing facing fresh challenges time from February 8th - 10th .Under Amsterdam, Brussels, London, nearest Burgan Bank branch or contact the The New Development Bank, all around the globe, the World the theme: ‘Where East Meets West’, Valencia, Bologna, Vilnius, Tallinn, call center on 1804080. focussing primarily on lending for Forum for FDI’s session on cross- itwill be attended by CEOs and senior Shanghai, and Philadelphia. Different delivery, one B-to-B Service Centers launches winter free car checkup campaign on all car makes message to Greece KUWAIT: Due to the great success of the winter ers. But what makes BTB truly stand out is the As one of the strongest local brands in the ROME/PARIS: In Paris and Rome, it was sug- hope that this European tour has helped ar coated; in Berlin and Frankfurt unequivo- them see what others are prepared to do - campaign in previous years, Bumper-to-Bumper highly-trained crew of technicians and profes- country, with more than 150,000 vehicles serv- cal. But the message from European capitals and not do,” said one European official in service centers part of Yusuf A Alghanim & Sons sionals, who collectively provide an unprece- iced each year, in one of 150 service platforms in to Greece’s new leaders was the same at Brussels. Tsipras and Varoufakis declined to Automotive Group announced that it will re- dented level of support through state-of-the-art 8 service centers throughout the country, every stop on last week’s tour - stick to your comment for this article. There isn’t much launch the free car checkup campaign for all car equipment and auto maintenance knowledge. Bumper to Bumper provides customers with commitments. time. Greece’s bailout ends on February 28. makes until 20 March 2015. The offer is part of total convenience and peace of mind, dealing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will head to Athens says it doesn’t want an extension, BTB commitment to provide high quality prod- with all makes and models of cars. At Bumper to his first European summit on Thursday duly rather a bridge loan from Europe while it ucts and services to help ensure the safety of its Bumper, the customer comes first and each cen- warned that it will be near impossible, as comes up with a new plan for the country. customers especially during the winter season. ter is designed with the customer’s comfort in Athens wants, to rip up pledges made dur- So far, the answer has been no. Yet without This offer applies to all car makes and avail- mind, including free wireless access, a spacious ing the country’s four-year international new aid, the Greek state will be starved of able in the main BTB branches including lounge area, a cafÈ, a playroom and much more. bailout. Tsipras and his aides were also funds. Nine billion euros were slated to advised to learn the ways of diplomatic cus- arrive this year, largely from the International Shuwaikh, Jahra, Fahaheel and Sharq and Indeed, choosing Bumper to Bumper service tom. “Friendship requires telling things as Monetary Fund. Tax revenues are shrinking, includes checkup of tires, brakes, head lights centers means turning over your car to a crew of they are,” French Finance Minister Michel and privatizations have been halted. and signal lights, windshield wipers, battery, tire specialized technicians which operates the most Sapin told Reuters after meeting his Greek Analysts at Unicredit say the state could run pressure and the suspension system. On top of advanced equipment and analyzing tools to counterpart Yanis Varoufakis last Sunday. out of money by March. that, customers can get a KD- 5 coupon for produce a highly detailed report and an accu- “We must avoid misunderstandings and every KD 50 spent on needed repairs. The rate estimate of total cost of repair. To top it off, make sure all, and especially the Greek side, Balancing act coupons can be redeemed across all BTB Bumper to Bumper service centers offer gen- understand how things are.” The clearest message to Greece this branches. uine spare parts for all car models, as well as The positions taken this past week raise past week came, as expected, from Founded in 1980, BTB started as quick-service warranties for parts and labor. BTB service cen- pressure on Tsipras to abandon the rhetoric Germany. During a news conference with shops that specialized in replacing and repairing ters also offer easy finance solutions such as that got him elected. Other European capi- Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis in tals must decide how much they are willing Berlin, German Finance Minister Wolfgang exhaust systems. Five years later, in 1985, the installments and other payment plans. to compromise to keep Greece in the euro. Schaeuble dismissed Greece’s request for brand BTB was created as a unique concept in BTB service centers are strategically located France and Italy, widely perceived as any bridge funding and insisted that the Kuwaiti market. Today, BTB’s clear mission is throughout Kuwait including Sharq, Fahaheel, Greece’s natural allies, will have to think how Athens implement existing bailout agree- to exceed expectations by offering the best in Shuwaikh and Jahra, and are also integrated in far they want to go to facilitate a deal. “I ments. —Reuters car maintenance and spare-parts services, for Alfa Petrol Stations in Shaab, Agaila, Shuwaikh both individual customers and corporate own- and South Surra.