The Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB) held a Bahrain Banks Reception earlier in October 2009 at the Swissotel, Bosphorus Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey prior to the opening of the plenary sessions of the IMF/World Bank. The Kingdom of Bahrain's delegation to the IMF/World Bank meetings was led by H.E. Shaikh Ahmed B?n Mohammed Al-Khalifa,the Minister of Finance and H. E. Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, the Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain.
Almost 350 guests attended the reception including ministers of finance, central bank governors, chairmen and chief executives of major banking groups, diplomats, businessmen, management of the EDB and the media. Mr. Mayank Malik, Chairman of BAB, stated, "This is the largest number of guests at this annual reception that the Association has experienced. The Economic Development Board were instrumental in first establishing the reception in Singapore several years ago, and the success of that and the ones in Washington during the last two years paved the way for our success in Istanbul this year."
Mr. Robert Ainey, CEO of BAB, commented, "Just as Istanbul is a gateway between two continents, the Kingdom of Bahrain strives to be a gateway to the Gulf countries of the Middle East. The main objective of the reception was to promote Bahrain to an international financial audience who attended the IMF / World Bank meetings, along with creating a prestigious modern presence and chance to highlight Bahrain's exceptional status as the financial capital of the Middle East. The reception is an excellent networking opportunity that offered an attractive place for business interests."
The financial community of the Kingdom of Bahrain wholeheartedly supported the event and sponsors include Ahli United Bank, BBK, Investcorp, Robeco, and United Gulf Bank.
The evening before the reception BAB also attended a ceremony held by Emerging Markets where H.E. Shaikh Ahmed was presented an award for the best Minister of Finance in the Middle East for which the Board of Trustees extends its congratulations.
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© Press Release 2009
