Following the great success of Euromoney’s inaugural Lebanon Conference: Finance and Technology: Partners for Growth in June 2015 the second instalment returns to Beirut on Tuesday 31 May bringing together 400 of the region’s leading figures in finance and technology.
Through a series of keynote speeches, live interviews and special debates participants will address the central theme of Revitalising Capital Markets for the Digital Future.
“The Euromoney team are delighted to be returning to Beirut with a stellar line up of speakers from the worlds of finance and technology,” said Victoria Behn, Director, Middle East and Africa at Euromoney Conferences. “Our moderators we will be drawing up key recommendations on how Lebanon can build and finance its digital future. Our thanks go to His Excellency the Governor and the teams at the Banque du Liban and the CMA for their continued support.”
Governor H.E. Mr Riad Salamé will be joined by H.E. Dr Alain Hakim, Lebanon’s Minister of Economy and Trade, to deliver the opening keynote speeches. This will be followed by live Euromoney interviews with key financiers: Samir Hanna, Group Chief Executive Officer of Bank Audi and Saad Azhari, Chairman and General Manager of BLOM Bank.
We will set the scene with a macro economic and financial sector overview, putting Lebanon’s economy in the context of global events. We will feature a special debate on the advancement of Lebanon’s financial and business digital ecosystem and take a deeper look at both fixed income and equity capital markets.
Many initiatives have been launched in efforts to fire up capital markets as an economic engine in Lebanon; from drafting lists of companies that the government could privatise via IPOs, to new legislation and the ongoing enhancement of capital markets regulation and supervision.
Starting with the adoption of the new Law 161 (Capital Markets Law) several years ago, triggering the formation of the new CMA, Lebanese authorities have been working hard to create a well-functioning, clearly regulated body which can do a great deal to attract investment from abroad.
New legislation and initiatives including the CMA’s Electronic Trading Platform (ETP) are being introduced to energise, expand, and deepen the capital markets in Lebanon which in itself has the potential to provide a real boost to the Lebanese economy. Despite the challenges created by the current economic climate and the relatively small size of the market and investor base, Lebanon has significant strategic advantages on account of its well-developed professional services industry, numerous sophisticated financial institutions and other key market players.
To confront the clear challenges of effective capital market development there will be a high-level discussion featuring a panel of experts including:
- Vedat Akgiray, Professor of Finance, Bogazici University, and Former Chairman, Capital Market Board of Turkey
- Michel Aramouni, Assistant General Manager, Group Capital Markets, Bank Audi
- Imad Ghandour, Co-founder and Managing Director, CedarBridge
- André Küüsvek, Director, Local Currency and Capital Markets Development, EBRD
- Fadi Osseiran, General Manager, BLOMINVEST Bank
Firas Safieddine, Executive Board Member of the CMA will also take part one-on-one interview live on stage followed by a special debate on the right financial exit strategy for Lebanese startups.
Join the discussion on Twitter in the run up to the event (#EMLebanon).
This year’s event is supported by the Banque du Liban and the Capital Markets Authority. Lead Sponsors are Bank Audi and BLOM Bank. Abou Jaoude & Associates is a Strategic Partner. First National Bank is an Exhibitor. The EuroMena Funds and MEVP are supporting organisations.
For further information on the Euromoney Lebanon Conference 2016 and to view the agenda, please visit: http://www.euromoneyconferences.com/lebanon
Proceedings from the 2015 conference are available to watch in the ‘Past Videos’ section on the event webpage.