2nd Capacity Building Programme For Users of the OIC Business Intelligence Centre (OBIC) was held in Istanbul

In his opening speech at the 2nd Capacity Building Programme for Users of OBIC, Ousamma Kaissi, CEO of ICIEC, said: "We are aware that development through digitalization and automation is through trade and investment, and that these should be a key ongoing objective for the public and private sectors and the partnership between them. Given the abundance of data and technological advances that offer unprecedented opportunities to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions, it is essential to address the sheer size and complexity of information. To this end, Member Countries should jointly invest in establishing information-sharing platforms and systems to collect, analyze, and disseminate relevant data."

In his opening speech, Dr. Walid Abdelwahab, Director of IsDB Regional Hub Istanbul, thanked Türkiye for hosting this vital capacity-building programme on behalf of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and their hospitality and support. Dr. Abdelwahab said, "As you know, business intelligence is an umbrella term that covers the processes and methods of collecting, storing, analyzing, and visualizing data from business operations or activities to optimize performance and help organizations make better data-driven decisions.

Business intelligence solutions play a crucial role in today's rapidly changing and competitive business environment. It leverages data analytics to provide valuable insights and helps decision-makers understand market trends, customer behavior, and other important factors that drive trading and investment decisions. In this context, OBIC is a very significant platform providing cross-border credit registry and linked credit bureau services for OIC Member Countries. It will provide businesses with a detailed picture of OIC business performance and creditworthiness, helping them make informed decisions and allocate capital with confidence."  Expressing his hope that this is the beginning of a strategic dialogue that will support trade and investment decisions, Abdelwahab said that the IsDB is committed to supporting member countries by strengthening their capacity to leverage the power of OBIC in promoting economic development and attracting investment to their countries.

In her opening speech, Mrs. Fatma Çınar, Director of the Participation Banks Association of Türkiye (TKBB), expressed her great pleasure to come together on the occasion of the 2nd Capacity Building Programme for Users of OBIC and said, "We do highly believe that this programme will significantly contribute to trade and investment industry by providing an accelerated and facilitated ecosystem engagement for flourishing business environment. It is significant to have active dialogue and continuous relations with IsDB Group organizations. In this regard, TKBB and member banks conducted a business programme for the IsDB Group in March 2023 at their premises in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the leadership of Mr. Osman Çelik. At the bilateral meeting held with ICIEC during this programme, organizing a joint programme in Istanbul was one of the discussed potential collaboration areas. Therefore, today, we enjoy putting this commitment into practice by being partner of this valuable cooperation.

In her speech, Mrs. Çınar also touched upon the value of information exchange among OIC Member Countries, noting that this initiative was launched by the ICIEC in 2017 to establish an OIC credit information center to provide a variety of information on accessible and affordable credit and data on businesses in OIC Member Countries. Mrs. Çınar said, "It is a crucial step for promoting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Trade and developing a competitive business environment, boosting partnerships, and enabling knowledge-sharing among OIC Member countries. As part of carrying this plan into action, ICIEC selected Türkiye as one of the pilot hubs of the Center alongside Saudi Arabia and Indonesia by considering the level of development and capacity of technology infrastructure, and information ecosystems in those countries. We do believe that this hub will show its highest performance and outcomes with the support of leading public and private Turkish organizations which are carrying systematic importance at the country’ vision in this field."

Mrs. Çınar further stated that considering the high capacity and sophisticated infrastructure of Türkiye for digitalization, they strongly believe that this initiative will be very well accepted in Türkiye and distributed among OIC members successfully. Emphasizing the importance of being a part of this programme, Mrs. Çınar expressed her gratitude for the programme and expressed that they wish to maintain the active dialogue to deepen their cooperation.

The first day of the three-day programme in Istanbul ended following the first session conducted after the opening speeches.