Mr. Bassem Abdulsalam Bawatneh holds a master’s degree in business administration from Birzeit University and is a Certified Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA), awarded by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), Bahrain.

He has over 24 years of diversified experience spanning Islamic and conventional banking, lending institutions and the corporate sector. His expertise include financial management, strategic planning, budgeting, policy development and the design of operational frameworks.

Since joining Safa Bank in 2016, Mr. Bawatneh has served as Director of Finance and Shareholder Affairs. Previously, he was Director of Finance at the Palestinian Islamic Bank for four years and Director of Finance and Administration at the Palestinian Banking Corporation for two years. Earlier in his career, he spent ten years with Arab Bank and Palestine International Bank.

In addition to his banking career, Mr. Bawatneh served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Wasel Group and Auto Zone Group for five consecutive years, where he led the organizations’ financial strategy and corporate finance functions.