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...The Blessings!

Our recruitment and selection procedures ensure the hiring of the right mix of people, who can make effective contribution to our bank. Our policies aim to attract, motivate, recognize, and retain competent staff members. We identify employee training needs and organize in-house training programs that enable our employees to acquire the right skills for meeting the current job needs and helping them in career progression. Our performance management system aims to reinforce the culture of merit and high performance.

I welcome your suggestions and ideas on how we can further improve our work environment and engagement levels with our bank. I take great pride representing the ‘Al Baraka’ brand which signifies the institution’s core values to collaborate and partner with you in your success.

Hope you enjoy reading this edition of the newsletter.

Sincerely,

Mukkarram JafriHead of Human Resources

My Dear Al Baraka Family,

It is the first time that I’m addressing to you all through our e-newsletter which is now reaching almost two and a half years of successful circulation by our Service Quality team.

I’m happy to share my thoughts on this forum. Each employee plays a vital role in contributing to Al Baraka Pakistan. Our Human Resource Department strives to foster a work environment that enables all employees to embrace the spirit of Al Baraka and contribute to support the vision and mission of our bank. We do this by developing a framework of strategic HR practices.

Message From Our Head of Human Resources

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Page 04

Page 07 Page 11

Milestone Achievers - North Nazimabad Branch !!!

Ghani Global Glass Project ..!

Page 13

ATM Expansion updates..!

Celebrating Consumer Finance successful completion of Auto Campaign.!

Page 09Training Updates ..!

Dar Al Eiman Company – our travel partner has been operational since 1981 and is considered as one of the prominent companies in Hotels management, Hotels reservation, Hajj and Umrah services. It is successfully managing and operating 16 hotels in Makkah and Madina. Recently, an award ceremony was arranged on November 10th, 2015 at Taj Marquee Hall, Moven Pick Hotel Karachi to award the Top Agents across Pakistan. Mr. Osama Yahyah Felali -Chairman, Dar Al Eiman KSA, Mr. Taha El Sayed - Director Business Development, Dar Al Eiman KSA, Mr. Rayan Felali and Muhammad Ellamby - Executive Managers, Madina Branch came from Saudi Arabia to attend this event.

Apart from Dar Al Eiman’s team, the guests who attended this ceremony included executives from various banks, travel and airline industries. Mr. Nadeem Shareef, Chairman -Travel Agent Association of Pakistan (TAAP), Karachi on behalf of all the travel agents in Pakistan besides welcoming the guests appreciated the services of Dar Al Eiman in providing quality accommodation to Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims.

Ms. Farah Naz – Head of Consumer Finance and Marketing along with Mr. M. Salman Ashraf – Manager Rahnuma Travel Services represented Al Baraka Pakistan at this event. Furthermore, Mr. Osama Yahyah Felali also appreciated the support extended by our bank and in recognition to the business extended by Al Baraka Bank Pakistan awarded a token of appreciation to Ms. Farah Naz.

Here are few glimpses from the event …

Dar Al Eiman Pakistan arranged ‘Top Agent Awards 2015’ at Karachi

...The Blessings!

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News from ABG

News from Al Baraka Pakistan

• ABG announced a net income of US$ 214 million for the first nine months of 2015, reporting an increase of 3% over the net income of the same period of last year.

• Al Baraka Turk Participation Bank, a subsidiary banking unit of ABG, announced that it had achieved a large increase of 16% in its net profit in the first nine months of 2015 compared to the same period of 2014

• Al Baraka Bank Egypt, also announced that the Bank achieved distinguished financial results and growth in businesses, services and products, where net income jumped by 24% in first nine months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.

• Al Baraka has become one of the first global financial institutions to pledge its targets for supporting the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, which were adopted by the United Nation's General Assembly on September 25, 2015.

• Standard & Poor’s Rating Services (Paris) has affirmed its long and short credit ratings of Jordan Islamic Bank (JIB) successively at BB-/B with stable outlook and assessed JIB’s Stand – Alone Credit Profile (SACP) at bb- for foreign currencies rating.

• Arab Organization for Social Responsibility honored Jordan Islamic Bank (JIB) for its support and participation in the regional conference for social responsibility in the Arab World under the slogan “Maintain The Gains And Face Challenges”.

• Mr Mohammed Kaka - Executive Director, Al Baraka Bank, South Africa awarded ‘Achiever of the Year’at the 31st Annual General Meeting of Roshgold Investment Holdings

• Al Baraka Pakistan announced achieving a growth of 19% in its net profit in the first nine months of 2015 compared to the same period of 2014.

• Prize Distribution Ceremony held at Lahore to celebrate Consumer Finance's successful completion of Auto Campaign.

• Media Campaign launched covering both print and radio mediums on Wednesday 18th November 2015.

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On Monday, 9th November 2015, Al Baraka Bank Pakistan held a ceremony at Lahore Gymkhana to celebrate the successful completion of Consumer Finance Auto Campaign June- September 2015 & to reward the victors. The purpose of Ijarah campaign was to boost and encourage the staff to positively respond to the sales.

Our respected CEO – Mr. Shafqaat Ahmed despite his hectic schedule joined the ceremony and consumer team in these moments of joy and graced the occasion with his presence. Also present at the occasion were the Group Head of Retail Banking - Mr. Imran Khizar Hayat, Chief Risk Officer - Mr. Mr. Ayyaz Ahmed & Group Head Commercial & SME Banking – Mr. Amjad Ali.

The CEO acknowledged the efforts of the top performers and rewarded the team. Mr. Muhammad Ahmed Khan (BM Deeplapur) & Mr. Asif Muslim (BM Bahwalpur), Mr. Imran Munir & Mr. Faisal Masood from consumer won team Umrah Packages, while Mr. Faisal Javed, Mr. Hassan Shoaib, Mr. Muhammad Nauman Anwar & Mr. Zahid Ali from consumer won LED’s and many other prizes. However; Mobile phone were distributed among Ms. Tania Ali (80-Y DHA) & Mr. Muhammad Akhtar (Mailsi).Congratulations Champs ..!Here are the few glimpses.

Celebrating Consumer Finance successful completion of Auto Campaign ..!

...The Blessings!

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Print Media News Archive...!As most of you would be aware that we maintain digital online newspaper archives on our intranet portal which canbe assessed by visiting the following link:

http://webserver.albaraka.com/marketing/printmedia.html

This section is updated on fortnightly basis and consists of archive news from well read Newspapers across the country. Banking Updates in General, Competition, International Updates and News/Update from State Bank of Pakistan and so much more. The objective is to provide ready reference to you to search and explore back dated archives..... Happy Reading!

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IBA inaugurates Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance !!!Institute of Business & Administration (IBA) holds a repute of a renowned intuition dedicated to the task of imparting valuable education and work ethics to its students since 1955. Recently, on Friday, 27th November 2015 ‘The Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance (CEIF)’ was inaugurated by Federal Finance Minister, Mr. Mohammad Ishaq Dar at IBA City Campus, Karachi.

The objectives of the Centre is to provide qualified human resource to the industry and play a pivotal role in developing shared understanding of Islamic Finance principles among the participants. Besides this it will also provide fresh trained human resource to the industry, improve existing human resource capacity, invest in research and collaborate with other institutions to achieve excellence in the field.

The event was attended by Governor SBP, Mr. Ashraf Wathra, senior executives of various banks along with other dignitaries. Our respected CEO – Mr. Shafqaat Ahmed and COO – Mr. Ahmed Shuja Kidwai had also graced the event with their presence.

...The Blessings!

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Ghani Global Glass Project !!!Ghani Global Glass project was inaugurated on November 12, 2015 at Phool Nagar, Multan Road, Near Lahore. Al Baraka Bank Pakistan Limited was represented by our respected CEO Mr.Shafqaat Ahmed, Mr. Abdul Razzaq (Group Head, Corporate & Investment Banking Group), Mr. Amjad Ali (Group Head, Commercial & SME Banking Group) & Mr. Abdullah Ghaffar (Head of Investment Banking).

Ghani Global Glass plant has been set-up to manufacture high-quality, European standard glass tubing which will be used by the local pharmaceutical industry in the production of vials and ampules.The installed capacity of the plant is 24 tons/per day wherein tubes of different diameters and thickness ranging from 10mm to 17.75mm shall be produced as per customer requirement. The total cost of the Project is PKR 1,120 million including long term financing of PKR 600 million and Sponsor’s equity of PKR 520 million.

Ghani Global Glass aims to produce premium ‘Kimble’ class product to replace the existing imports of European and Chinese products in the country and that too at very competitive prices and shorter delivery period. This Project is a 100% import substitution facility with immense benefits to the industry and the national economy in terms of technology transfer, training of local engineers and savings of precious foreign currency. Plant and machinery for this project have been imported from Italy, Japan, Germany, UK and China.

Al Baraka Bank Pakistan Limited successfully arranged a PKR 600 Million, 6-year syndicated financing facility for setting up this project of national importance. The Facility comprised of Sight LC and Diminishing Musharaka financing of PKR 600 Million each. Bank of Khyber, Askari Bank and Al Baraka Bank Pakistan Limited participated in this facility with PKR 200 Million each. Al Baraka Bank is also acting in the capacity of Facility Agent and Security Trustee for this Facility.

Al Baraka Bank’s relationship with Ghani Group is over a decade old now. ABPL also provided the main project financing of PKR 350Mn to Ghani Gases Limited for establishing a 100 tons per day industrial gas manufacturing plant at Port Qasim, Karachi in the year 2012.Subsequent to the commercial operations of the plant in May 2014, Ghani Gases has become the second largest industrial gas production company in the country after Linde Pakistan. Alhamdulillah, Al Baraka has extended various other facilities to the Group including LC’s, Banks Guarantee and working capital lines.

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Brief Shariah Standards of Mudaraba (Part 3)Mudaraba is a partnership in profit whereby one party provides capital (Rab al-maal) and the other party provides labor (Mudarib).

Agreement of Mudaraba FinancingIt is permissible to enter into Mudaraba contract with particular sum of money and duration. The Memorandum of Understanding should elaborate each and every aspect of contract including nature of business, profit sharing ratio and guarantees etc. The contents of MoU will be an integral part of Mudaraba contract unless the parties agree to change or amend any clause of MoU.

Mudaraba ContractThe Mudaraba contract may not be concluded without two parties or their agents. Either the parties or their agents will enjoy absolute legal capacity in this regard. The Mudaraba contract may be terminated unilaterally except in two cases i.e. in case of commencement of business by the mudarib and if the contracting parties will agree to determine the particular duration in this regard. The Mudaraba is a trust-based contract in which mudarib is not liable for any loss except in cases of breach, fraud and negligence.

Types of MudarabaThe Mudaraba is divided into unrestricted and restricted Mudaraba. In case of unrestricted Mudaraba contract, there is not any restriction on mudarib by the capital provider in order to run business but full freedom will be given to mudarib in this case. On the contrary, in case of restricted contract, the mudarib is restricted by the capital provider to do a particular investment etc. but restrictions should not constrain the mudarib in its operations.

Guarantees in a Mudaraba ContractThe capital provider is permitted to obtain guarantees from the mudarib that could use only in cases of breach, misconduct or negligence etc.

Requirements relating to the CapitalThe capital of Mudaraba must be provided in the form of cash. If the capital is provided in the form of tangible assets, the value of the assets must be evaluated by the expert or as per mutual agreement. The quality and quantity of the capital must be known to contracting parties to avoid uncertainty in the future. A debt owed by the mudarib or another party to the capital provider is not permitted as capital. The capital, wholly or partially, must be put at the disposal of the mudarib to retain the validity of the Mudaraba.

Rulings and Requirements Relating to ProfitThe distribution of profit must be clearly known to the parties and the distribution of profit must be on the basis of percentage of the profit rather than lump sum or percentage of the capital. The parties should agree on the ratio of profit distribution. The ratio of profit distribution may be changed at any time. It is not permissible to earn a share of profit in addition to a fee in Mudaraba contract but it is permissible for the two parties to enter into a separate agreement which will be independent of the Mudaraba contract and the termination of this agreement will not affect Mudaraba contract. According to this separate agreement, one party may be assigned to perform the task, for a fee, that is not by custom part of Mudaraba operations. If the ratio of profit distribution is not decided then the customary practice will be followed. If there is no customary practice, the Mudaraba contract will be void and the mudarib will receive a common market price for the services that he provided as mudarib. If one party stipulates to receive lump sum money, the Mudaraba contract will be void. It is permissible to stipulate that one party may take an additional profit over a particular ceiling and if the profit is below or equal to ceiling amount, the distribution will be in accordance with the agreement. The arrangements i.e. the profit earned on one amount will go to mudarib and the profit earned on another amount will go to capital provider, the profit of one financial period will go to mudarib and the profit of the other financial period will go to the capital provider and the profit earned from a particular transaction will go to mudarib and the profit from another transaction will go to the capital provider are not permissible. The profit can be claimed at the end of Mudaraba. Any losses during the operation would be compensated by the profits of future operations of Mudaraba. The mudarib is entitled to a share of profit if it is clear that the business would be in profit but it would not the absolute entitlement because the absolute entitlement would be given only at the time of liquidation. It is permissible to distribute the realized profit on account but the distribution must be revised at the time of liquidation of Mudaraba when the actual or constructive valuation takes place. In case of commingling funds in Mudaraba by the mudarib, the mudarib becomes a partner in respect of his funds and a mudarib in respect of the capital provider. The profit would be divided proportionately according to which the mudarib takes the profit attributable to his own funds while the remaining profit would be distributed between the parties as per agreement. Contributed by: Mr. Muhammad Zeeshan Farrukh-Manager Product Development-

(Mr. Zeeshan is a regular writer for Pakistan and Gulf Economist)

...The Blessings!

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Milestone Achievers...!North Nazimabad Branch commenced its operations on March 8, 2008 with a major share of Term Deposit (approximately 80%) and CASA ratio of (approximately 20%) till January 2014. Mr. Shoaib Ahmed took charge as a Branch Manager of this branch on February 2014 when the deposit base was of PKR 887 million.

And gradually the Branch's deposit bumped into a good rise of over PKR 150 million within 4 months and at present the branch stands at PKR 1.36 billion deposits with over 2,600 customer accounts with a CASA ratio of approximately 53% and Term Deposit ratio of 47%. Alongside to the core retail operations.

Since February 2014 the branch has also generated Car Ijara business of over PKR 9.9 million, Diminishing Musharakah business of over PKR 35 million has also been generated in home financing and PKR 1 million SME limit for machinery financing.

Additionally, it is also a fact that the branch has qualified in all the Banca Conventions by generating a business of PKR 6.6 million since July 2014 and has been an active participant in the 3 Banca Conventions. Furthermore; the branch has also successfully participated in Rehnuma Travel by generating three customer’s for Hajj this year (2015).

Standing left to right, Mr. Zubair Khan (RO), Mr. Farhan Pasha (BDM), Mr. Johar Jaffri (BDO), Mr. Arslan Alam (Teller)

Sitting Left to right, Ms. Nida Abid (CRO), Ms. Lubna Rafiq (OM), Mr. Shoaib Ahmed (BM) & Mr. Azaz Ahmed (Senior Teller)

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Usage of Honey ...!Honey has been used by countless cultures all around the world over the past 2,500 years. While the numerous health benefits of honey have made it an important element of traditional medicines such as Ayurvedic treatments, scientists are also researching the benefits of honey in relation to modern medicine, particularly in the healing of wounds.

It is one of those food items that have also been mentioned in the Holy Quran, "And the lord inspired the bee, saying: Take your habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you)'. There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily in this is indeed a sign for people who think." [Qur'an 16:68-69]

Honey contains antioxidant, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties that fight against the virus, bacteria, and fungus to treat the cold and its underlying symptoms. It helps to soothe a sore or scratchy throat naturally and relieves irritation. Besides this it also boosts the immune system, which reduces the severity of cold and also prevents future colds and other viruses.

How Honey is used to treat Cold:

1. Honey and CinnamonCinnamon has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties that effectively prevent colds.

Mix one tablespoon of lukewarm honey and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon powder.Consume this twice a day for three days.

Note: You can mix honey and cinnamon into fruit salads, hot water, fruit juices, tea etc.

2. HoneyRegularly consuming honey will help treat colds and their symptoms, as well as many other health problems.Consume one tablespoon of honey at the first sign of a cold or cough.Note: You can add honey and lemon juice to tea or warm water if you do not want to consume it raw.

3. Honey, Lemon, and GingerObtain an 8 ounce canning jar. Quarter a whole lemon and place the slices in the jar. Grate a 1.5” square nob of ginger and add to the jar. Mix and add enough honey to fill the jar while stirring the mixture.Soak for a few hours and then add 1 or 2 teaspoons of the mixture to hot water and drink.Note: Make sure to keep the jar in the refrigerator for further use.

4. Honey and Cinnamon TeaHoney and cinnamon suppress cough, which allows a person with cold symptoms to get a better night sleep.Steep 0.5 to 3 teaspoons of cinnamon bark in a cup of water for five minutes, then remove the bark.Add 2 teaspoons of honey and mix well.Note: It is best to drink this tea before bed to improve the quality of sleep.

5. Honey and Lemon TeaRegularly drinking honey and lemon tea will help get rid of cold symptoms.• Combine 2 tablespoons of honey with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a mug.• Add enough hot water to fill the mug.• Stir and drink.

Source: http://homeremediesforlife.com/honey-for-cold/

...The Blessings!

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ATM Network Expansion Updates !!!The first step towards automated banking was the invention of the Automatic Teller Machines or ATM as they are usually called. It’s interesting to mention that according to one of the articles on the internet the first ATM was installed in a bank approximately 40 years ago. Since then ATMs have been playing a critical role in not only retaining customers but also gaining a competitive advantage while maintaining and growing overall profitability.

In the month of November our bank successfully deployed four onsite ATM machines at Chakwal Road - Talagang, Colony Road – Mailsi, Grain Market – Haroonabad and Highway Road – Chishtian branches.With the addition of these new ATMs our ATM network has reached a figure of 103 ATMs (19 offsite and 84 onsite) across the country.

Mailsi Branch

Haroonabad Branch

Chishtian Branch

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ORIGIN OF CURRENCY SYMBOL

The won (원) (symbol: 원; code: KRW) or the Korean Republic Won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates. The won is issued by the Bank of Korea, based in the capital city, Seoul.

The official currency of North Korea, issued by the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea which is based in its capital city, Pyongyang, is divided into the same number of units, and is known as the North Korean won.

When to Jump ..!Put a frog in a vessel of water and start heating the water.

As the temperature of the water rises, the frog is able to adjust its body temperature accordingly.

The frog keeps on adjusting with increase in temperature...

Just when the water is about to reach boiling point, the frog is not able to adjust anymore...

At that point the frog decides to jump out...

The frog tries to jump but is unable to do so, because it has lost all its strength in adjusting with the rising

water temperature...

Very soon the frog dies.

What killed the frog?

Many of us would say the boiling water...

But the truth is what killed the frog was its own inability to decide when it had to jump out.

We all need to adjust with people and situations, but we need to be sure when we need to adjust and when we need to confront/face.

There are times when we need to face the situation and take the appropriate action...

If we allow people to exploit us physically, mentally, emotionally or financially, they will continue to do so...We have to decide when to jump.

Let us jump while we still have the strength.

Think on It !! Contributed by: Mr. Aseem Ur Rehman Manager ADC-IT

...The Blessings!

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Training is an integral part of our initiatives towards staff development & career enhancement. Therefore, the HR team with our pool of in-house trainers regularly organizes various training sessions. In the month of November, a total of 6 trainings were conducted countrywide. These included “Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, FATCA & Financial Consumer Protection Framework” conducted by Mr. Masroor Hussain Rao- Chief Compliance Officer. These trainings were conducted in the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan.

Here are few glimpses of the sessions…

Training Updates ..!

Al Baraka UnionPay Debit Card Merchant List for POS Network !! We are pleased to share the latest list of Merchants for POS Network on our Al Baraka UnionPay Debit Card countrywide with absolute convenience.You can check the list of merchants by visiting the following link:

http://webserver.albaraka.com/sq/

Happy swiping!

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Our Editorial Team...!

Editor's Note...!

Dear Al Baraka Team,

As the year comes to a wintry close, it seems like just weeks ago when we had shared the first newsletter issue for 2015.

Moving ahead with the 31st issue of Barakah – The Blessings I’m pleased to mention that this month’s edition is also all about interesting events & activities that recently took place across the country within Al Baraka Pakistan. Besides this, we’re also featuring an article on Shariah Standards of Mudaraba and more.

Furthermore; this time we have some helpful tips for the winter season; including natural remedies to overcome common cold. Lastly 24th and 25th December were national public holidays that everyone was anxiously looking forward to. Some had lined up plans like BBQ and get-togethers in order to make the most of the time and to enjoy the cold spell.

Hope you enjoy reading our latest issue and look forward to bringing you more interesting articles in 2016.

Regards,-Editor

Concept & Editorial Strategy Advisor:Farah Naz - Head of Consumer Finance & Marketing

Editor in Chief:Samia Asaad - Manager Service Quality

Creative Editor:Muhammad Zeeshan Khan- Officer Service Quality

Editorial Assistance:Zohaib Adnan - Assistant Manager Service Quality

Qasim Raza Zaidi - Officer Service Quality

Robin Tanveer - Officer Service Quality

Contributing Authors:Ahsan Butt - Manager Phone Banking

Muhammad Zeeshan Farrukh - Manager Product Development

If you have the flair for writing and you want to share your thoughts with us, we would love to have you onboard.

Feel free to write us or send us your suggestions and feedback at email: zeeshan.khan2@albaraka.com.pk

"Newsletter" is available for download at:http://webserver.albaraka.com/sq/

THIS IS A PUBLICATION OF SERVICE QUALITY DEPARTMENT