Major conference to examine direction of global economy and Qatar’s rising importance as financial bub

DOHA- Euromoney yesterday announced that the 3rd Euromoney Qatar Conference “global finance: re-launched” – a major conference examining changes in the global economy and Qatar’s rising importance as a financial hub – will take place this year from 24-25 November 2014.

Some of the world’s leading financial players, along with a representative cross section of Qatar’s financiers and policymakers, will take part in the pioneering event.

The conference will be held under the patronage of H.E. the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani.

H.E. Ali Sharif Al Emadi, Finance Minister of the State of Qatar and H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saud Al Thani, Governor of Qatar Central Bank will also deliver speeches on the opening day of the event. 

Now in its third year, the Euromoney Qatar conferences have provided a key opportunity to examine the state of global finance, and the key steps that must be taken to redesign, re-engineer and re-launch the financial sector to ensure sustainability and long-term returns.

Nearly 600 financial professionals from over 30 countries participated in the live and online financial event in 2013, and organisers are confident that there will be similarly positive attendance this year.

Richard Banks, Regional Director, Euromoney Conferences said: “We are very excited to return to Qatar at a key moment for the global and regional economy. In-line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, the financial sector has evolved and developed significantly in recent years, and global interest in the opportunities presented by the rise of Qatar is at an all-time high.”

The Qatari economy has entered a new phase of diversification, with large investment spending in the non-hydrocarbon sector increasing by 6.5 percent in 2013 (up from a 6.1 percent rise in 2012) while growth in the hydrocarbon sector slowed, according to the most recent QNB Group Qatar Economic Insight report.

Double-digit growth in the non-hydrocarbon sector – driven by higher investment spending and a growing population – has fed into the on-going expansion of the Qatari financial sector, and generated significant opportunities for global financial institutions.

Senior executives from major national and international institutions, including Qatar National Bank, Qatar Investment Authority, and Atlantic Financial Inc., will try to examine the implications of this economic shift. In addition, they will look at the wider factors impacting the global banking sectors – and implications of current legislative and structural changes for organisations in the GCC region.