Jordan News

Written by: Muhammad Al-Rantissi

The government’s decision to appoint Dr. Adel Sharkas, governor of the Central Bank, was not surprising, since the man has been “the son of the bank” for many years, and has enough experience, competence and open economic visions to make him able to manage work at a stage when the country is facing many economic challenges, exacerbated by a pandemic. Corona and its repercussions on all sectors.

It can be said that Sharkas, born in 1966, is considered a “good successor to a good predecessor”, as he was a student of the “conservative sheikh”, Ziad Fariz, and the two men succeeded together in the difficult and complex period imposed by the pandemic.

Sharkas is considered one of the most prominent Jordanian minds in his field of work, as he possesses qualitative scientific experience, and administrative and leadership skills, especially with regard to programs and projects, as well as his ability to take the right decision at the right time, specifically during exceptional events or crises, which was demonstrated With the Corona crisis, Sharkas was a key player in many of the decisions taken by the bank under the supervision of Freeze, in the context of efforts to address the repercussions of the pandemic.

Regarding the reactions to the appointment of Sharkas, it seemed remarkable that the amount of satisfaction and satisfaction expressed by economists and specialists, whether through social media platforms, or in what are known as “political salons”, considering that the presence of Sharkas at the head of the bank’s management, means that the “Central” will witness a qualitative leap. performance, which will positively affect the consolidation of the principle of monetary stability, financial and economic reform, and the continuation of work to protect the sectors that have been and are still wracked by the effects of the pandemic.

The specialists are very optimistic that the Sharkas administration will also lead to further improvement in the next stage with regard to economic growth figures, in addition to everything related to the financial and economic realities in the Kingdom and the decisions related to them by the Central Bank.

At the level of citizens, and in a quick monitoring of their comments on the communication sites on the news of the appointment of Sharkas, it was remarkable that there were many complaints about what some called “exploitation of banks”, and the talk focused on the interest rates on loans and their rise, in addition to the large number of services and procedures that banks deduct a financial compensation for their implementation, and the doubling of interests The monthly installment of the loan in case the customer postpones it.

The commentators called on Sharks to take measures that banks would abide by and that would relieve citizens of financial burdens, whether with regard to loans or others, which others considered an “impossible measure,” given that “banks that make huge profits, will not be accepted through their pressure and powerful tools in the state.” By any such measures.

Speaking about Sharkas’ career, he had previously held several positions in the Central Bank, where he began his working life as an economic researcher in the Research Department in February 1991, then moved to the United States of America and obtained a doctorate in 2002 and in the same year he was appointed as an assistant in the Department of Finance at Alfred University in New York State and was later promoted to associate professor at the same university in 2006.

Sharkas returned to work at the Central Bank in 2006, where he held the position of Head of Monetary Affairs in the Research Department, and in 2009 he was promoted as Deputy Director of the Research Department and then as Executive Director of the Department in late 2011.

He received a doctorate in financial economics from the University of New Orleans – USA, a master’s degree in applied statistics and financial economics from Yarmouk University – Jordan, and a bachelor’s degree in applied statistics from the same university.