Adam Broom, Chief Executive Officer of CPI Financial, presented the award to Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat, MD & CEO of KFH-Bahrain, accompanied by Ahmad Saeed, Executive Manager at KFH-Bahrain, along with Rashid Alkhan and Riaz Mohamed, senior members of KFH-Bahrain's investment team. —Courtesy photo Kuwait Finance House-Bahrain received the "Best Investment Advisory Service 2013" award from CPI Financial for its role as the lead and transaction adviser for the three-way bank merger in Bahrain that was completed last December. Adam Broom, Chief Executive Officer of CPI Financial, presented the award to Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat, MD & CEO of KFH-Bahrain, accompanied by Ahmad Saeed, Executive Manager at KFH-Bahrain, along with Rashid Alkhan and Riaz Mohamed, senior members of KFH-Bahrain's investment team. Since late-2011, KFH-Bahrain acted as lead and transaction adviser for the merger between three Bahrain-based Islamic banks — Elaf Bank, Capital Management House and Capivest — creating a strengthened financial institution with total equity exceeding $300 million and total assets in excess of $400 million spanning the Middle East and North Africa, Europe and Asia. On receiving the award at the KFH-Bahrain Headquarters, Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat said: "Winning this prestigious award proves the market's understanding of the need to create stronger entities, as this is the first-ever merger of its kind that has resulted in creating a robust merged entity that is positioned to better compete in the dynamic and growing global Islamic banking and investment industry". "We are thankful to God for successfully completing this transaction and we will continue our vision and strategies in contributing toward the economic growth and sustainability of Bahrain. We consider this accolade as another milestone for which we thank God, the support of the Board of Directors in addition to the employees who have strived to make this a success" Alkhayyat added. The prestigious global annual event was organized by CPI Financial based in Dubai. CPI is the leading publisher of financial magazines in the Middle East, namely, Banker Middle East, Islamic Business & Finance and Private & Hedge Funds Middle East. The Islamic Business & Finance Awards have been designed to encourage, inspire and reward excellence within the global Islamic Business and Finance community and they have become the yardstick by which Islamic Finance institutions and practitioners across the globe measure themselves. Kuwait Finance House-Bahrain is a leading provider of Islamic commercial and investment banking services. Established in 2002 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House (Kuwait), an industry leader for more than 30 years, KFH-Bahrain specializes in developing and bringing to market the highest quality Islamic compliant banking and investment products. — SG