Under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain and in collaboration with the BIBF, SWIFT will conduct the very first Business Forum Bahrain, takes place on Monday, 24th March 2014 at the Gulf Hotel.
Senior representatives from Bahrain’s banking industry will join regulators and policy makers to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the country’s financial services industry
“Growth across the Gulf region brings with it both opportunities and challenges. Bahrain’s financial industry is well placed to capitalize on growth. It is clearly evolving so that it can seize opportunities as the region’s economies develop and diversify. SWIFT Business Forums provide a unique platform to bring together participants from across the industry for strategic discussion about the topics that really matter for their business,” Sido Bestani, Head of Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, SWIFT, said.
Following the welcome address by Francis Vanbever, Chief Financial Officer, SWIFT, and the keynote address by Khalid Hamad, Executive Director, Banking Supervision at the Central Bank of Bahrain, the opening plenary will look at the consolidation in the Bahrain banking sector, as it evolves to meet the changing needs of Gulf corporates and international clients operating in the region.
Another panel discussion will look at corporates in the region and how they work with their banks. As corporates develop into regional and global players, these dynamic businesses are looking at how their financial operations could benefit from automation at the same time as addressing new security challenges.
A major topic for the region is the growth of Islamic Finance. The World Islamic Banking Conference in December 2013 brought together thought leaders, key regulators and leading industry players to discuss the global growth of the international Islamic finance industry, and demonstrated Bahrain’s relevance to the industry.
The public event, taking place from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Gulf Hotel, will provide a unique platform for strategic discussion and high-level networking.