NBAD said that it has hired Richard Stumbles from HSBC in Dubai where he headed the MENA transaction management group in capital financing. He has previously worked for Barclays Capital and Deutsche Bank in London. NBAD has kept its quarterly operating costs broadly flat across 2015 after necessary investments in 2014. The bank’s current investment priorities are improvement in branch sales, cash and trade platforms, continued talent upgrades and further development of key international hubs in London, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Management is eyeing Neutral to positive JAWS in 2016 - revenue growth likely to be in-line or higher than cost growth. (Bloomberg, company disclosure)