Citi launches tech hub in Bahrain to develop its digital platforms

Citi launched on Monday a global technology hub at its Bahrain offices, the first of its kind in the region and with the aim of employing 1,000 coders over the next decade.

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The hub, based at Citi’s Bahrain premises, was set up in partnership with Tamkeen, a government-funded labor fund, and Bahrain’s Economic Development Board (EDB), which are also investing, a Citi executive said.

Under the plan, Citi will hire at least 100 people in coding-related roles each year over the next 10 years.

The new hires will initially work on two of the bank’s main platforms, Citi Velocity and Citi FX Policy, said Ala’a Saeed, Citi FX’s global head of electronic platforms and distribution.

“Selecting our two flagship systems to develop out of here in Bahrain is a huge endorsement of the talent and the caliber of people that we’ve found here,” he said.

Tamkeen will subsidize a portion of the salaries and cover training costs locally and abroad, said Tamkeen Chief Executive Hussain Mohammed Rajab, without disclosing figures.

Bahrain, where Citi has operated for 50 years, has sought to market itself as a financial technology hub for the Middle East and North Africa in a bid to revive its reputation as a regional banking and business center.

The heavily indebted state, which does not have the oil or gas resources of its Gulf neighbors, received a $10 billion bailout in 2018 from some of its Gulf allies to avoid a credit crunch.

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