Ali Habka
Risk Governance & Financial Development, Economic Analysis
About Ali Habka
PhD Economist and financial reformer seeking to transition into development research. 10+ years designing crisis-era policies and macro-stress models in Syria, with fluency in Arabic/English and MENA fieldwork readiness. Senior Banking Board member & Chief Risk Officer with 11+ years steering systemic transformation at the Commercial Bank of Syria and its 70 branches, driving 80% YoY portfolio growth. Recognized top performer for 5 consecutive years in government bond auctions (45% portfolio growth, $190M profit), crafted SME/energy strategies (200% average annual growth, $74M profit) while designing risk system (Basel IIl/IFRS 9 systems). Launched SME taxonomy formalizing 20K+ businesses, drafted Syria's first sustainable student loan law ($1.5M+/year by funding), national AML frameworks (600K+ accounts), and directed core banking digitization 40% faster transactions. PhD-level expertise in risk management and (4+) publications on banking stability and performance improvement strategies, trainer and course designer in banking and financial subjects.
Field of expertise
Professional Experience
Member of the board of directors
Commercial bank of syria
•Recognized for 5 consecutive years as a top performer in the government bond auctions team, contributing to 45% portfolio growth and $190M profit. •Designed and executed a diversification strategy that launched SME financing and energy sector investment programs, driving 200% average annual growth rate in 2019-2024 and $74M in profits. •Drove 80%+ annual growth as an active board member, steering strategic decisions that expanded profitability and market share. •Represented the bank as a key ambassador at 5 conferences annually to secure vital resources and partnerships supporting the bank's mission.
Head of Risk Mmanagement
Commercial bank of syria
• Designed and implemented the bank's first IFRS 9 & Basel III-compliant ICRS, covering 25,000+ borrowers and optimizing provisions by 70%. • Pioneered the bank's first FRONA Op Risk, boosting supervisory controls by 30% via a 300+ risk scenario library and upskilling 100+ employees. •Championed a risk culture initiative that led to a 300% increase in self-reported incidents, enabling preventive risk mitigation. •Leveraged the quantitative framework to accurately size and allocate a ($2.3M USD) provision for operational risk, minimizing the future financial impact of risk incidents on the bank's capital. •Led the bank-wide fraud risk management program, directly preventing 5+ major fraud events that protected over ($1.55M USD). •Contributed to the preparation of the interbank liquidity deployment framework, generating $4M+ annual revenue (2024) from institutional placements. •Oversaw $2.5M/year renewable energy loan portfolio (150+ facilities), structuring sustainability-linked lending terms.
Core Banking Solutions Project Manager
Commercial bank of syria
•Directed end-to-end implementation of KIYA integrated banking solution across 70+ branches, modernizing operations via 12+ modules (LOS, LMS, AML, Customer & Account Management, Safety Boxes, Payable & Receivables, Digital Banking, Cheque Management) to cut transaction processing time by 40%. •Performed detailed reviews of over 200 RFP and FSD documents, ensuring precise alignment with project requirements and objectives. •Pioneered bank-wide competency transformation through a 12-module training framework upskilling 1,000+ employees in system mastery and operational workflows, boosting process efficiency by 35%.
Head Of AML/CFT Department
Commercial bank of syria
• Modernized AML/CFT frameworks across 70+ branches, implementing 65+ typology case studies to detect and mitigate suspicious transactions, strengthening the bank's defenses against financial crimes. • Monitored 600,000+ client accounts to ensure full compliance with AML regulations and reporting requirements.