Dubai Bank has appointed Ziad Makkawi as CEO to succeed Ahmed Binbrek who left the bank recently.

With 17 years of financial sector experience, Makkawi joins the bank from Shuaa Capital where he served as executive managing director. Prior to moving to the UAE to establish Shuaa's financial services business, Makkawi was a founding partner and Managing Director of Middle East Capital Group in Lebanon, the investment bank.

Earlier Makkawi served as Vice President with JP Morgan in New York and Elf Trading in Switzerland. Makkawi's appointment comes in the aftermath of a highly successful first 18 months of operations for Dubai Bank.

The Dubai Bank credit card has seen more than 20,000 cards being issued, making it one of the fastest issuers in the UAE banking industry.

The bank has also embarked on a branch expansion that has seen new ones open in Abu Dhabi and inside Jebel Ali Free Zone.

Further products such as the bank's credit card rewards programme and its auto and personal loans have seen an impressive take-up.