7 January 2020 - Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

bwallet, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s leading digital mobile wallet, has announced the winners of its exclusive challenge for University of Bahrain students the ‘bwallet User Interface Contest’ at a ceremony held at the University of Bahrain this week. Winning attractive cash prizes, the first-place winners for the design of a new user interface for Bahrain’s most popular mobile wallet app - bwallet were Mohammed Mukhtar, Hussain Mohammed, Abdulla Ayoob and Ghufran Abdulla.

The ceremony was graced by HE. Prof. Riyad Yusif Hamza, President of University of Bahrain, B. Chandrasekhar, CEO, AFS, Shiraz Ali, CEO, Fintech Business (Finzo), AFS, Dr. Lamya Aljasmi, Dean of the College of Information Technology, University of Bahrain among other officials and a large number of students. The 2-month long contest attracted a lot of student energy with over 100 students of the University’s College of IT participating. Second and third place winners were Faizan Arshad Khan, Ramsha Khalid, Kalsoom Mohammed and Juweriya Kamal in second place and Hawra Ali in third.

AFS CEO Mr. B. Chandrasekhar said: “We are delighted to work with University of Bahrain students in designing the bwallet app interface. This contest provided them with the unique opportunity to experience and learn of the new advances in the Fintech and payments space and better equip them with the innovative Fintech skills needed for the workplace of the future. The enthusiasm and creativity that was on display was incredible and a testament to both bwallet’s broad appeal and the immense potential in the University of Bahrain’s talented students. I take this opportunity to thank HE. Prof. Riyad Yusif Hamza, President of University of Bahrain and Dr. Lamya Al Jasmi, Dean of the College of Information Technology. Dr. Abdulla Al Qadoumi, Dr. Resala Al Daraj and Dr. Ghassan Al Koureiti who worked tirelessly in support of this initiative.

bwallet, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s leading, consumer-friendly digital mobile wallet and the first of its kind to provide peer-to-peer money transfer, was launched in 2018 by Arab Financial Services (AFS), the region’s foremost Fintech enabler, in partnership with Batelco, Bahrain’s leading digital solutions provider. It has since been rolled out across thousands of leading retail businesses, cinemas, hotels, F&B and entertainment outlets throughout the Kingdom and is being utilized daily by an ever-growing customer base. bwallet users can simply scan a QR code for seamless transactions and enjoy quick, secure and easy cashless payments with exclusive benefits through their mobile phones.

Dr. Lamya Al Jasmi, Dean of the College of Information Technology, University of Bahrain said “We are very excited to collaborate with AFS to engage University of Bahrain students in a design competition to develop the user interface of bwallet. These types of competitions are an important means to expose students to real-life design activities that extend beyond the curriculum. The students had the chance to engage in brainstorming, problem-solving, analysis, and design activities. The students worked in teams to adopt innovative techniques specifically in the promising Fintech field. The bwallet design competition played a significant role in motivating students to excel, succeed and get them ready for the job market. We are very passionate to see the new look of bwallet designed by UOB students.”

The bwallet app offers a host of attractive features. These include: International Money Transfer to Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom; International Prepaid Mobile Top Up to any international prepaid mobile phone account in over 150 different countries; In-App Batelco Bill Payments enabling customers to buy Batelco Prepaid credit or pay Postpaid and fixed line bills; and Bill Splitting which allows users to divide costs of shared expenses so that everyone can pay their share instantly and accurately.

Further information about bwallet, its growing services portfolio, its offers and exclusive cashback promotions can be found by visiting Batelco.com. Download the free bwallet mobile app at GooglePlay or Apple’s App Store.