Most organizations focus exclusively on ‘maximizing shareholder value’. The well-known argument is, of course, that an enterprise maximizes shareholder value through profits from solving real market need.  Many economists also believe that corporations should only focus on shareholder value, because ‘trickle down economics’ takes care of everything else.

In theory, this reductionist approach works and is an elegant way to create value in capitalistic context.  However, in practice, we believe this exclusive focus on shareholder value is not only damaging to shareholders eventually, but is also damaging to customers, employees, communities, and the environment.

Shared Prosperity is a strategic framework that focuses holistically on all stakeholders. KPIs and KRIs for all stakeholders, including customers, employees, regulators, partners, the environment & community, and shareholders, are all considered critical. Jordan Ahli Bank’s shared prosperity framework delivers direct, measurable and intentional value to all these stakeholders, and with patient capital, we believe this will produce outsized returns for shareholders.  Shared prosperity and shareholder value creation are not mutually exclusive – in fact, they are mutually reinforcing.

For Customers – as a financial services enterprise, we continue to explore: how do we provide the best possible service to our customers? How do we measure customer satisfaction, customer effort, and customer experience so we can delight our beloved customers? What else can we provide to our customers beyond financial products to improve their social mobility and prosperity? How can we improve financial inclusion and expand our network of customers to create mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships? How do we delight our customers with great digital capabilities and UI and UX? Etc.

For Employees – How can we attract, train, and retain the best talent in the industry? How do we create an open, fair, and collaborative culture, based on trust, entrepreneurial thinking, and innovation, that uplifts the lives, opportunities, and socioeconomic outcomes of our beloved employees? How can our employees develop a sense of meaning and purpose in the work that they do? How do we ensure our employees are not just fairly compensated, but exceptionally rewarded—with competitive pay, flexible benefits, and the peace of mind they need to thrive?

For The Community & Environment – how do we ensure that our ESG & Sustainability initiatives are properly documented and reported? How do we deepen our impact through partnerships, financial products, programs, and policies and procedures to world class standards? How can we become real stewards of the environment, and directly and indirectly promote economic growth that is inclusive, sustainable and exciting? Etc.

For Regulators – as a key stakeholder, how do we make sure our regulators trust us and enable us? What can we do over and above regulatory requirements to build greater confidence with our regulatory bodies? How can we deepen our relationship with regulators to uncover new areas of growth and disruption in the world of finance? How do we improve our governance and compliance standards in a way that goes beyond the expected? How do we jointly collaborate with regulators to improve financial inclusion and socioeconomic prosperity for the countries in which we operate?

For Shareholders – how do we build a sustainable, high growth, very profitable, and deeply responsible bank for our shareholders? How do we become an investment that everyone would like to buy and keep in their shareholding portfolio? How do we develop a fully transparent relationship with our shareholders in a way that builds institutional trust and long-term partnership?

We want to aspire to become a deeply responsible bank, and to enable true shared prosperity for all our stakeholders. Nothing is ever perfect, but our goal will continue to be about maturing and scaling the impact of shared prosperity. If you have any ideas on how we can improve shared prosperity in a way that is sustainable, please feel free to reach out to us.

We thank you for your trust and partnership. Live long and prosper!