19 July 2017
Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Forum will convene the international financial community to focus on 'Navigating the New Order'

Dubai, UAE – Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading international financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, will organise the first Global Financial Forum (GFF) on Tuesday 14 November 2017. 

The Forum, programmed by The Economist Events, will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and President of DIFC.

This highly anticipated event, themed ‘Navigating the New Order’, will convene an exclusive gathering of invited speakers and delegates to thoughtfully identify and address the challenges and opportunities facing emerging markets today.

“Over the past few years, we have witnessed a shift in the global economic and geopolitical landscape, especially from more developed markets. At the same time, the economic behavioral patterns of emerging markets continue to evolve,” said His Excellency Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC. “DIFC’s dynamic commercial environment and world-class infrastructure enables businesses to thrive. The Global Financial Forum will help DIFC to keep pace with global trends by facilitating open discussion among international business leaders and financial regulators.”

Through a series of deep-dive sessions, panel discussions and fireside chats, the GFF will explore geopolitical, technological and financial trends and discuss how they are impacting the finance industry today and may continue to do so in the future. The Forum will take a broad view of global finance while focusing on the Gulf’s financial markets, as well as exploring how the MEASA region plans to navigate shifts in the industry in the coming years. Topics of discussion will include the Gulf’s expansive investment influence, the evolution of the Islamic Economy, financial reform in emerging markets, and the potential of FinTech to be a force for good. 

The themes discussed during the Forum reflect the increasing global influence of emerging markets, where Real GDP growth is expected to be 4.1 percent this year, compared to 1.9 percent in advanced economies, according to the World Bank’s June 2017 Global Economic Prospects report.

“It is an honour to host the Forum, which I am confident will prove to be an exciting addition to the global financial sector calendar. As the leading financial centre in the MEASA region and a gateway to the South-South corridor, the DIFC’s ongoing success reflects the high demand for world class financial services in the emerging markets,” concluded His Excellency.

Further details on registration for the Global Financial Forum 2017 can be found at www.globalfinancialforum.ae.

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About Dubai International Financial Centre
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is the financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, providing a world-class platform connecting the region’s markets with the economies of Europe, Asia and the Americas. It also facilitates the growth in South-South trade and investment. An onshore, international financial centre, DIFC provides a stable, mature and secure base for financial institutions to develop their wholesale businesses.

The Centre offers all the elements found in the world’s most successful financial industry ecosystems, including an independent regulator, an independent judicial system with a common-law framework, a global financial exchange, inspiring architecture, powerful, enabling support services and a vibrant business community. The infrastructure within the district features ultra-modern office space, retail outlets, cafes and restaurants, art galleries, residential apartments, public green areas and hotels.

Located midway between the global financial centres of New York, London in the West and Singapore, Hong Kong in the East, DIFC (GMT +4) fills a vital time-zone gap with a workday that bridges the market and business hours of financial centres in both Asia and North America.

In 2015, DIFC launched its 2024 growth strategy, a blueprint for the next decade of growth of the financial hub, which aims to triple in size between 2015 and 2024. This strategy aims to stimulate trade and investment flows along the South-South economic corridor encompassing Africa, Southern Asia and Latin America.

Currently, 1,648 active registered companies operate from the Centre, with a combined workforce of 21,611 professionals.

DIFC continues to pursue expansion into new services and sectors within the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, an area comprising over 72 countries with an approximate population of 3 billion and nominal GDP of US$7.4 trillion.

For further information, please visit our website: difc.ae, or follow us on Twitter @DIFC.

© Press Release 2017