Abu-Dhabi-based
First Gulf Bank is setting up a quartet of
Southeast Asia offices in a bid to tap the fast-growing region, according to Zawya
Dow Jones.

FGB is applying for licences in Indonesia's capital
Jakarta, South Korea's Seoul, and Beijing and Hong Kong in China, Mustaza Bin
Qasim, chief executive officer of the bank's Singapore branch and responsible
for the Asia-Pacific region, told Zawya Dow Jones in a recent interview.

"[At the] beginning of this year we decided... we
want to stick it out in Asia and towards that end we are setting up four
representative offices," Bin Qasim told the publication.

Abu Dhabi-listed FGB is focusing on trade and commodities
financing in industries such as coal and oil, while seeking a bigger presence
in markets with strong economic growth stories like Indonesia and China, he
said.

FGB set up its Singapore representative branch in 2007 and
upgraded it to a wholesale banking office in 2009.