ISLAMABAD - The government on Wednesday appointed State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Acting Governor Yaseen Anwar as SBP governor. President Asif Ali Zardari made the appointment on the advice of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. The post has been lying vacant for three months after the resignation of Shahid Hafeez Kardar on July 18 due to policy differences with the government. Yaseen Anwar, who is a dual nationality holder, would be the 17th governor of the central bank of the country, while it is fourth appointment on this post by the incumbent government during its three and half years tenure. After his appointment, the new State Bank governor called on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at Prime Ministers House on Wednesday. The prime minister asked the governor to keep him abreast about the state of economy and take measures to maintain the financial discipline in the country. The SBP governor said that he would try to come up to expectations of the democratic government and to implement the monitory policy of the State Bank of Pakistan in letter and spirit. Sources told The Nation that the government had also considered several other names, including that of Ali Reza and Dr Shamshad, for the post of SBP governor. The government was required to appoint new governor before October 18 as, according to the law, a new appointment is required to be made within three months to falling vacant of the said post. Yaseen has been appointed as SBP governor with effect from October 19, 2011. He has performed the duty as SBP acting governor twice in last four years, once after the resignation of the Shahid Hafeez Kardar from July 19 to October 18 and earlier in a period from June 3 to September 8, 2010, after the resignation of then governor Syed Salim Raza. Yaseen had earlier assumed the charge of the office of SBP deputy governor on March 29, 2007. A senior global banker, Yaseen brings 33 years of international banking experience to his new assignment. Prior to taking over as SBP deputy governor in March 2007, Yaseen was associated with M/s Kraken Financial Group, London as its Executive Vice-president since 2003. He has worked closely with various financial institutions and brokerage firms in Pakistan over the past three years and developed an in-depth understanding of the financial services sector and the economic reforms in the country. Yaseen, with deep corporate business relationships in US, Europe, and the Middle East, has established a broad range of hands-on experience in managing rapidly growing business units of renowned global financial institutions with detailed knowledge and oversight of the regulatory environment, operations, payments and credit related matters. As a Non-Executive Director on the Board of United National Bank Ltd (UK) over the past six years, he has developed strong expertise in the UK financial services regulatory framework on corporate governance as well as senior level ties with the UK Financial Services Authority. He was Director-Private Banking, Riggs & Co, London from 2001 to 2003. Yaseen Anwar spent nine years with Merrill Lynch & Co, New York/London as its Vice- President from 1992 to 2001. He also served Bank of America for 15 years from 1976 to 1991 in various responsible capacities such as Vice-President & Section Head for the Global Export Finance Group & concurrently the Middle East (1984- 1991), Assistant Vice-President, New York (1982-84), Assistant Manager, Cairo, Egypt (1979- 1981) and Assistant Manager, Paris/London (1976-1979). He was trained at JP Morgan Chase, New York from 1973 to 1975. Yaseen Anwar was the Founder and President of the Pakistan Bankers Association, UK from 1997 to 1999. In New York, he had served as an Executive Director on the American Turkish Society, Director on the US-Pakistan Economic Council, Director on the American Middle East Business Association, and Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received his Bachelors of Science degree at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, together with a Bachelors in Political Science.