Ramadan 2021: The time for reflection – a message from our CEO

Just over 12 months on from the first national lockdown, this will be the second Ramadan under lockdown conditions. Ramadan this year provides us with an opportunity to take a step back and reflect on the time that has passed and hopefully look to brighter months ahead.

Throughout the pandemic, our focus at Al Rayan Bank has been on supporting our customers and colleagues. We redeployed many of our colleagues to new roles to help manage customer enquiries during the early stages of the pandemic. Our key worker hotline has also enabled our customers working in critical front-line roles, to have their calls answered as a priority.

We recognise that over the last year, as the landscape has evolved, so have our customers’ needs. As people lived their lives closer to home and on a more remote basis, we invested heavily in digital channels, rolling out two new versions of our Mobile Banking app, which I am pleased to say is now being used by more than 25,000 customers for their day-to-day banking.

But the shift to digital – across all facets of life – brings new risks. Last Ramadan saw the increased risk of online fraud, which the Bank produced specific guidance on for our customers in response. We’re asking our customers to be just as vigilant again this Ramadan, and as ever, we are on hand to provide guidance and support.

This year, we’ve come full circle, with Ramadan falling as we prepare to emerge from the latest lockdown. Connecting with loved ones will still look a little different than years past.

Many of the usual practices normally observed such as visiting friends and family indoors will sadly still not be possible this Ramadan. Instead, we must be content with meeting outdoor in parks and gardens and checking in on those we care about most through video calls.  But with the country’s vaccination campaign continuing at pace, and restrictions beginning to be eased throughout all four nations of the UK – there is real hope that normal life will resume soon.

It’s been a difficult time for individuals and business alike. The coronavirus pandemic has tested the strength of many of our communities, but it’s proven how resilient we can be, and we look forward to emerging stronger.

On behalf of all of my colleagues at Al Rayan Bank, we wish you Ramadan Mubarak.

Peter Horton, CEO, Al Rayan Bank