A retired Bahraini has received $150,000 in prize money “at just the right time” when he became the first ever Thimaar Grand Prize winner.
Abdulrahman Al Thawadi, a Thimaar customer since June this year, said he had retired a few months ago after an almost forty year career with Bapco, and that the prize money would help him meet his family’s long-term needs while enjoying a more secure, more comfortable retirement.
The delighted retiree said he still couldn’t believe his good fortune, despite the cheque presentation ceremony and the fact that the cash had already been deposited in his Thimaar Account.
“You never think that this could happen to you, it really is unbelievable,” said Al Thawadi. “To be honest, I hadn’t expected to win anything – certainly not $150,000 – and it all still feels like a dream,” he said.
“The money couldn’t have come at a better time either,” said Thawadi, a father of four. “My children are all in university, and I was planning to build them apartments to secure their future housing requirements. The Thimaar prize money, together with my retirement package, will allow me to do so and I can now look forward to my retirement,” he said.
Ithmaar Bank Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board, Mohammed Bucheerei and Executive General Manager Support Group, Juma Abull, presented Al Thawadi with his prize at a brief ceremony.
Al Thawadi had won the top prize at a multiple draw ceremony that was held at the Ithmaar Bank headquarters in Seef. Another 77 Thimaar customers also won a total of $200,000, bringing the total prize purse to $350,000 and making it the largest prize distribution since Ithmaar Bank, an Islamic retail-focused bank, launched its new Thimaar Account, a best-in-class prize based savings account, in September last year.
The draw ceremony, which was held under the supervision of the Bank’s internal auditors, as well as a Ministry of Commerce and Industry representative and external auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers, was attended by the Ithmaar Bank General Manager Retail Banking, Ahmed Abdul Rahim, the Assistant General Manager Retail Banking, Mohammed Janahi and other Bank representatives.
In the Quarterly Draw, Isa Al Doseri won the $50,000 top prize while Mohammed Bader and Imran A.Hakeem each won $15,000 and 25 other Thimaar Account holders each won $2,000. In the Monthly Draw, Saud Al Khan won the top $10,000 prize, Mohamed Khalifa, Ashwaq Al Zayani and Younis Ahmed each won $5,000 and 50 other Thimaar Account holders each won $1,000.
The draw ceremony marked Thimaar’s First Anniversary, and ushered in a new, even more exciting phase for the prize-based saving account.
“We are delighted with Thimaar’s phenomenal success, and are especially pleased to have helped brought so much happiness to so many people,” said Bucheerei. “Now starting its second year, Ithmaar is going to get even better, with bigger prizes and more winners. We are confident that Thimaar will continue to set the standard for others to follow,” he said.
Ithmaar Bank, which is expected to shortly announce details of its updated Thimaar offering, has pledged to ensure it continues to offer best-in-class incentives.
“Ithmaar is one of our newer, more exciting retail banking products – but it’s just a part of our efforts to play a real and meaningful role in the lives of our customers,” said Bucheerei. “As pioneers of Islamic banking in Bahrain, we are also especially committed to continuing our support for the Kingdom’s Islamic banking and finance industry,” he said.
Earlier this year, for example, Bucheerei had emphasised the Bank’s determination to push ahead, with full force, with the implementation of an aggressive business expansion programme that has already seen the Bank expanding its network, improving its delivery channels and introducing new, customer-focused products and services.
“This expansion programme is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to the Kingdom of Bahrain and to the continuous development of its Islamic financial services industry,” said Bucheerei. “It is a long-term commitment and, having played a pioneering role in the establishment of Islamic banking in the Kingdom, we continue to take it very seriously,” he said.