This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 29, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: OCBC Al-Amin Bank Bhd, the Islamic banking arm of OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd, has opened its first Islamic banking branch in Sandakan, Sabah.

The branch is the second OCBC entity in Sabah, after Kota Kinabalu. With this, OCBC Al-Amin now has 13 branches nationwide.

In a statement yesterday, OCBC Al-Amin said the 4,400 sq ft branch offers a comprehensive range of Islamic banking products and services for individuals, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and corporates. Other services include 24-hour electronic banking services comprising ATMs and cash/cheque deposit machines.

OCBC Al-Amin chief executive officer Syed Abdull Aziz Syed Kechik said the bank has set its sights on expanding into Sabah since its establishment in 2008.

“Expansion into Sabah has been a key part of our overall Islamic banking network-building strategy from the start. The move brings us a step closer to being better represented in our key markets,” he said.

On the customer-development strategy for Sandakan, Syed Abdull Aziz said OCBC Al-Amin will focus on engaging the local consumer community, SMEs and larger industry players, especially those in infrastructure development, wholesale and trading.

“Our key product suites deriving from financing and cash management will continue to underpin our core focus in Sandakan,” he said.

OCBC Al-Amin has progressively built a stable of 49 products involving 15 key principles of syariah compliance, ranging from simple deposit and financing offerings to investment banking solutions.

Overall, OCBC now has 45 branches nationwide — 13 Islamic and 32 conventional.