NBAD organises Global Financial Markets Forum 2011

The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), the Number One Bank in the UAE, has lined top dignitaries, renown speakers and crucial decision-makers for its Third Annual Global Financial  Markets Forum (GFMF) to kick off  on March 2^nd, 2011. 

“For the third year in the row National Bank of Abu Dhabi has organised an impressive programme for Global Financial Markets Workshop to serve our investors and clients,” said Mahmood Al Aradi, the Senior Executive Vice President of NBAD’s Financial Market Division. “In organsing the GFMF, NBAD seeks to go beyond serving our esteemed investors and clients; we also aim to meet our commitment to achieving the goals of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, in this case to enhance the role of Abu Dhabi as a regional financial services centre.

“Organising this major event and gathering so many renowned policy-makers and talking heads in Abu Dhabi certainly helps to raise Abu Dhabi’s profile to new heights.” 

NBAD’s Financial Market Division (FMD) organises the annual GFMF. Each year’s conference is unique and adds on the success of the year before. This year’s GFMF includes the Investor Presentation sessions, a programme that has never been offered in the region. The Investor Presentation sessions are aimed to target top investment managers globally and regionally. This new leg for the GFMF is in addition to the unique conference and Workshops set-ups. 

“I am pleased to announce that for GFMF 2011 we have broken the record in bringing together the most unique and unprecedented list of workshops and invitees to Abu Dhabi,” said Sameh Al Qubaisi, the General Manager of Institutional & Corporate Coverage Group at NBAD’s Financial Market’s Division. “What makes the Investor Presentation sessions very special is that we arranged to bring bond issuers and potential issuers to the conference to discuss their credit story and future plans. This session will explore the direction that the Abu Dhabi Government and its entities would take in the planned development of the emirate,” Mr. Al Qubaisi says. 

GFMF is preceded by the Global Financial Markets Islamic Forum on February 27 and 28. The Islamic Forum of GFMF will allow industry leaders, expert, decision-makers and observes to discuss and debate the most pressing issues facing the US$1 trillion Sharia banking system. At the conference, leading industry players and Sharia scholars will review and debate the needs and challenges of Islamic finance. For instance, they will discuss how a dedicated Islamic Sovereign wealth fund could catalyse much needed variety and consolidation for the industry. The Islamic Forum of GFMF will also explore the relationship between Abu Dhabi and Islamic finance, from international appetite for Abu Dhabi sukuk to recent steps taken to open up the UAE short term debt market. 

“We look forward to another educational and exhilarating Global Financial Markets Forum and we are confident that we will succeed again to deliver the quality of information and conference that our valued investors and clients deserve,” Mr. Aradi said. 

The GFMF 2011 and the Global Financial Markets Islamic Forum will be held on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island at Yas Hotel, which overlooks the state-of-the-art Yas Marina Circuit.