Izah Azahari
Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) added a new landmark to the Green Jewel of Brunei with the re-opening of the bank’s Temburong Branch yesterday. The branch, designated as a Heritage Branch (Cawangan Warisan), is located at the Bumiputera Complex in Pekan Bangar.
The BIBD Heritage Branch re-opening was officiated by Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah in his capacity as the BIBD Chairman and its Group of Companies; Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong; Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud; Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin; and Legislative Council member Yang Berhormat Haji Emran bin Haji Sabtu.
The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa followed by a keynote address by Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew.
It was followed by the official re-opening of BIBD Temburong Branch by the attending Cabinet Ministers, Yang Berhormat Haji Emran and BIBD Managing Director and CEO Mubashar Khokhar.
Mubashar Khokhar said the Heritage Branch’s re-opening highlights BIBD’s ongoing commitment to local communities in ensuring that all levels of society are able to access the range of products and services offered by BIBD.
“BIBD has always positioned itself as one of the key drivers of progress and development of the country from various fronts, including our network of branches that has become a hub of innovation and enrichment of customer experience in keeping true to our spirit of being Bruneian at Heart,” he said.
The Heritage Branch will have features that align with the district’s distinct identity and personality. While the design is a departure from BIBD’s typical branch concept, in keeping with the Heritage Branch theme, it prominently features lush greenery and makes use of wooden fixtures and features to be more eco-friendly, which blend seamlessly with the
surrounding environment.
The courtyard of the Heritage Branch also features an open concept with extensive greenery. The space will be used to host various pop-up markets and events in the future, aimed at bringing more traffic to the area and promote Temburong District as a tourism destination.
The upgrading of the new BIBD branch aims to serve all customer segments and provides counter services as well as digital banking services such as Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs) and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and is in line with the bank’s strategic efforts to serve all customer segments throughout the country. To date, BIBD is the only financial institution to maintain a full-time branch in the district.
The BIBD Heritage Branch operating hours are Monday to Thursday from 8.45am to 4pm, Friday 8.45am to 11am and 2.30pm to 4pm, and Saturday from 8.45am to 11.15am.
Legislative Council member Yang Berhormat Siti Rozaimeriyanty binti Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Abdul Rahman, senior government officials as well as BIBD senior management and staff were also present.