Banking

The banking sector has shown signs of a brisk recovery in the past year, with expansion of both assets and deposits at major firms. Banks have boosted profits and built healthy balance sheets by tackling non-performing loans, auguring a return to the growth seen in pre-crisis years. Near-term sector growth is set to come from new lending to small and medium-sized enter-prises and Islamic financial products. This chapter contains interviews with Nemeh Sabbagh, CEO, Arab Bank; Ziad Fariz, Governor, Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ); and Ahmad Abu Eideh, CEO, Standard Chartered.