CIMB Islamic to leverage strong positioning in global Halal network to help businesses go beyond borders  

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad (“CIMB Islamic”) and SimplySiti today jointly announced a collaboration that will see CIMB Islamic enabling SimplySiti to expand its halal beauty care business beyond Malaysian borders. The homegrown brand will also leverage the end-to-end support of the CIMB-ASEAN Halal Corridor and CIMB’s strong regional network, to meet the demand for quality Halal beauty, cosmetics and skincare products across the region. 
 
Signing on behalf of SimplySiti was Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza, President and Founder, SimplySiti while CIMB Islamic was represented by Rafe Haneef, CEO, Group Islamic Banking, CIMB Group. Witnessing the signing was Azuddin Rahman, Group CEO, SimplySiti; Mohamed Adam Wee Abdullah, Group Chief Marketing Officer, CIMB Group; and Mohd Fadhli Mohd Yusof, Assistant Senior Director, Secretariat Halal Affairs Malaysia, JAKIM. 
 
Dato’ Sri Siti said, “SimplySiti is a brand that not only promises great quality and international standards but it has the assurance of certification by JAKIM, adhering to Halal standards, thus serving the needs of the growing market for halal beauty products in the region and beyond. The support for SimplySiti’s products from customers and fans has been really encouraging and we are very happy to soon be able to bring our brand to Indonesia, and moving forward, to other parts of ASEAN. We also appreciate our strong relationship with CIMB Islamic and look forward to this collaboration in taking our business a long way forward.”
 
Rafe Haneef said, “For any homegrown business and SME, opportunities for growth are aplenty but the challenge is always on how to scale up. This is where CIMB Islamic’s expertise, the CIMB-ASEAN Halal Corridor and CIMB’s regional network provide a strong value proposition to our customers. Through this collaboration, we are excited to facilitate SimplySiti’s move into its next growth phase by reaping the vast Halal business opportunities within ASEAN. Businesses are welcome to leverage CIMB Islamic’s solid network across industries within the global Halal ecosystem. Our end-to-end banking and transactional support to customers also contributes to our strong value proposition to help businesses such as SimplySiti build their offshore Halal business.”
 
The CIMB-ASEAN Halal Corridor is an enhanced trade network linking halal businesses with trade infrastructure and ecosystems across ASEAN to take advantage of increasing demand for halal products in the region and beyond. ASEAN is home to more than 240 million Muslims, presenting not only a huge but also growing market for halal businesses.
 
CIMB Islamic has also joined the Trade Club Alliance, a strong worldwide network comprising over 16 banks and their clients in 19 countries.  This will enable business clients of CIMB to link with trade partners worldwide through a global directory of reliable and trusted buyers and sellers which are supported by globally reputable banks.
 
About CIMB Islamic Bank 
 
CIMB Islamic Bank, licensed under the Malaysia’s Islamic Financial Services Act 2013, is the main operating entity of the CIMB Group's global Islamic banking and finance franchise.
 
It operates in parallel with the Group’s universal banking platform and offers Shariah-compliant products and services to the Group's consumer banking, investment banking, asset management and investment businesses. 
 
CIMB Islamic’s services, products and operations comply strictly with global Shariah principles and standards under the guidance of the CIMB Islamic Board Shariah Committee which comprises of world renown Shariah experts and scholars. CIMB Islamic provides comprehensive and innovative Shariah-compliant financial products and services to meet the needs of individuals, small and medium scale enterprises as well as large institutional customers.
 
CIMB Group's Islamic banking and finance business is supported by the Group’s network of over 36,000 employees in 16 countries comprising an experienced senior management team and a global team of Islamic banking and financial services professionals in all core components of the Islamic banking and financial services market. CIMB Group also has the most extensive retail branch network in ASEAN, with around 800 branches as at 30 September 2018.
                                                                                              
About SIMPLYSITI
 
SIMPLYSITI was founded in 2010 under the strong aspiration of Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza, translating and sharing her knowledge and beauty secrets with women beyond borders. A local beauty brand, yet with an international appeal, SIMPLYSITI offers high quality Halal beauty products at par with established international brands. Today, SIMPLYSITI has expanded into about 200 retail outlets nationwide, mainly in Watsons and AEON, as well as the flagship stores of Creacion & SimplySiti by Siti Nurhaliza Boutiques. SIMPLYSITI products are also available online on its official website (www.simplysiti.com.my) and Shopee. For more information, log on to http://www.simplysiti.com.my/
 
Source: CIMB Group

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 
Name: Suria Zainal
Head
Group Corporate Communications 
Group CEO’s Office
CIMB Group Holdings Berhad
Tel: +603 - 2261 0638 
Email: suriawati.zainal@cimb.com  

--BERNAMA