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NBAD Bullish on F1’s 
Business Spillover

ABU DHABI — National Bank of Abu Dhabi, or NBAD the official bank of Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is bullish about the economic spillover of the much-awaited car race to be held at the Yas Island on Sunday.

“Formula 1 race weekends are watched by more than 600 million viewers globally and the 2009 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final round of F1 2009 season, is one of the most anticipated events in the international sporting calendar. Therefore, hosting this world-class event will broaden Abu Dhabi reach and visibility both internationally,” Abdulla Mohammed Saleh AbdulRaheem, NBAD’s Group Chief Operating Officer told Khaleej Times in an interview here.

“I think Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Island in general will contribute positively towards developing Abu Dhabi as a leading international city with state-of-the-art facilities and enhance its global importance,’’ he said .

“There will be multi-facets gains for the whole country; some benefits may be direct such as the expected increase in the number of tourist and visitors of Abu Dhabi while others may be indirect by enhancing the growing global importance of the UAE and 
Abu Dhabi in particular.”

The event will help establish ‘Brand name for Abu Dhabi’. More than 600 million viewers who are watching the race will be associating Abu Dhabi with one of the most advanced and modern race tracks and state-of-the-art facilities at 
Yas Marina Circuit.

What will be the scale of involvement of NBAD in this event? To this he said, “NBAD has signed a three-year agreement to sponsor Yas Marina Circuit activities as the official partner of the circuit and the official bank of Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.’’

“We believe this sponsorship is a natural progression for the bank; NBAD is a core part of the DNA of Abu Dhabi; this move confirms our commitment to serving and building Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE nation by participating in milestones events and financing projects across different economic sectors that contribute to the
 Abu Dhabi Vision 2030.’’

“Our investment in sponsoring this event will further strengthen NBAD’s association with world class events and enable the bank to increase its reach to global audience in accord with our expansions and vision to be the Number One Arab Bank,’’ Abdulla Mohammed said.


ramavarman@khaleejtimes.ae