Lebanese banker Marwan Khair El-Din has always had a close association with his country. Marwan Khair El-Din initiated the introduction of credit cards into Lebanon after visiting the United States of America, changing the financial system in the region forever.

“When I came back to Lebanon from the United States, there were no credit cards. No bank had a credit card,” recalls Marwan Khair El-Din, Chairman and CEO of .AM Bank.

Marwan Khair El-Din soon realized that it was an untapped market and began working extensively to apply credit cards in Beirut and abroad.

"We have been the only and first bank in Lebanon for five years that deals with bank cards." As Marwan Khairuddin stated, "During the first five years, my share in the financial market was 100%, but today my share of the credit card market is at least several times my share in the general banking market. I am really proud of this achievement."

After graduating from Columbia University in New York in 1993 with a master's degree in business administration, Marwan Khair El-Din returned to Lebanon to begin his journey at AM Bank, where his father held the position of Chairman. During his undergraduate studies, Marwan Khair El-Din also conducted a research project at Citibank and the positive impact that credit cards had on him during the 1970s and 1980s. He was determined to bring MasterCard to Beirut, and he did. He made contact with Michael Milken, who was a former Citibank vice president. Milken, who happened to be Professor Khair El-Din at one point, arranged for a life-changing phone call and soon AM Bank was given permission to start using MasterCard in Lebanon. In addition to credit cards, AM Bank was also the first bank in Lebanon to activate phone banking, thanks to Marwan Khair El Din.

Giving credit to those who are given credit in Lebanon

As Khair El-Din explains: “The banks used to work only four hours a day. We were the first bank to open until five in the evening, then all the banks in Lebanon followed me. We also launched phone banking using a phone app to do most of your banking transactions online.”

Marwan Khair El-Din has continued to expand the range of credit cards throughout Lebanon and believes that constantly innovating new products can sweep the markets.

"We haven't stopped creating various credit cards," he says. "There are different programs, some without interest, some with higher interest, others with annual fees, etc. And our ability to bring a new idea to market is usually limited by our suppliers." The third party if we need them. For example, we've created a new credit card program; if we need a physical plastic card, this will delay us. If we don't need it, we can launch it in two or three days."

Technology Transfer Balance

Marwan Khair El Din has made AM Bank a very innovative institution. "We are a very resilient bank as well as a very dynamic bank," he added. “If you get to know my team, all of my team without exception, you will know that they are an amazing and talented group, most of whom have experience in international banks, international audit firms or international consulting firms.” With the vast majority of AM Bank's team educated at world-leading business schools, Marwan Khair El Din is confident that his staff brings a different kind of banking expertise and experience to their clients. Prior to graduating from Columbia University, Marwan Khair El-Din received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Richmond International University in London. Education remains the primary task of Khair al-Din. The aspiring businessman was also a lecturer in Finance at the American University of Beirut from 1993 until 2013 and he never stops teaching himself. "I have a Bachelor of Arts and an MBA, but this is not enough," says Marwan Khair El-Din. "In my opinion, you are declining whatever score you get in five years if you don't continue to nurture and develop your brain."

Khair El-Din was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the American Community School in Beirut in 2012.

Marwan Khair El-Din says: “As a bank, we are flexible and give you the right advice, and we are the bank that says yes all the time.” “Tell me your problem, and we can figure it out together. We can structure it for you and we can do it. This has allowed me to grow exponentially and move forward and increase my market share.”

An authentic patriot who strengthens ties in his homeland

Marwan Khair El-Din grew up in Lebanon during the years of the Lebanese Civil War, and remains committed to serving the Lebanese people in the best possible way. "I've always felt that I needed to do something for my country whenever I could, and if possible," says Marwan Khair El-Din.

He achieved this by creating jobs with AM Bank and Virgin Megastores, which he also launched in Lebanon. Virgin Megastores has employed more than 400 people in Marwan Khair El Din's home country.

AM Bank has experienced continuous growth since its inception in 1980. AM Bank embodies Khairuddin's stand for strong communication and integrity in every transaction by offering 19 branches and multiple banking options whether personal, corporate or online.

“The entire banking sectors have grown in Lebanon, but the growth of AM Bank has been much faster than the growth of the banking sector,” says Khair El-Din. “As a matter of fact, we have had the highest compound growth rate among all the banks operating in Lebanon, if we exclude the banks that have grown via mergers or acquisitions. So over the past years