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Leading Women Empowerment In FinTech

Thursday 10 December 2020, 11:54 am


APU’s PhD Graduate is Bahrain’s First Woman to Hold a PhD for Her Research in FinTech​

We are proud to announce the success of Dr. Wajeeha H. Awadh, our recent graduate of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Management programme, as she has been named as the first woman in Bahrain to attain a PhD with research focus on FinTech.
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Her in-depth research focus on FinTech throughout her PhD journey led to the development of her thesis report, titled “Factors Influencing the Adoption of Shariah Compliant Financing Based Crowdfunding Platforms by MSMEs in Bahrain”. The research was supervised by Prof. Siva Muthaly & Dr. Mitra Saeedi. Prior to attaining the PhD, Dr. Wajeeha has been actively leading the development of the FinTech domain and several other initiatives, including women empowerment. She is a member of the Women in FinTech Initiative (WIFBH) by the Bahrain Economic Development Board, FinTech Ecosystem workgroup and FinTech Talent workgroup by Bahrain FinTech Bay, the largest FinTech Hub in MENA region.

In 2019, Dr. Wajeeha was named amongst the Top 30 Most Influential Women in Islamic Business and Finance by Cambridge IFA, a financial services intelligence house based in London. She is currently leading the Digital Banking & FinTech Section in Al Baraka Banking Group, a multinational banking corporation that serve customers across 17 countries. Dr. Wajeeha’s achievement also made her company proud, as she has been featured in various media outlets in the Middle East:

Congratulations to Dr. Wajeeha, as well as the Graduate School of Business for this astonishing achievement! We are proud to be a part of her success, as it empowers and inspires women to achieve great heights!