Manama, Bahrain - 12th of November, 2012: The Bahrain Financial Exchange (BFX), the first multi-asset international financial exchange in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, participated in the 2nd Annual Custody & Settlement ME Conference 2012 held on the 6th - 8th of November in Dubai.

The conference was an in-depth event tailored to bring together leading regulators, exchanges, investors, treasurers and broker-dealers to discuss different ways to improve efficiencies, mitigate risk and capitalise on the major new business opportunities developing across the Middle East and provide proven strategies for improving clearing and settlement processes in securities transactions across the region.

Mr. Venkat Giridhar, Head of Product Development and Research of the BFX, took part in the panel discussion session entitled "Outlining the systemic processes and improvements regional exchanges are introducing to increase trading volumes and heighten investor security" where he shared the international best practices that have been implemented by exchanges in the region to increase trading volumes, the benefits of a pan-GCC clearing corporation and depository to facilitate cross-listing between regional exchanges as well as ways to encourage a wider participation in the capital markets of the MENA region.

The Bahrain Financial Exchange provides all clearing, settlement, depository & risk management activities through its clearing corporation, the BFX Clearing & Depository Corporation (BCDC). Licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the BCDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BFX, performing as the central counterparty for all transactions on the Exchange through the process of novation.

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About Bahrain Financial Exchange (BFX):
The Bahrain Financial Exchange (BFX) is a pioneering international financial exchange based in the Kingdom of Bahrain and internationally accessible to trade cash, derivatives, structured products and Shariah-compliant financial instruments. The BFX has set up the BFX Clearing and Depository Corporation (BCDC) to clear and settle the financial instruments traded by the members of the BFX. The BFX and the BCDC are licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB).

The Exchange is a wholly owned initiative of Financial Technologies Group (FT Group), which currently owns one of the world's largest networks of 10 exchanges connecting fast‐growing economies of Africa, Middle East, India and South East Asia.

Bait Al Bursa is an Islamic finance division of the BFX, exclusively offering electronic exchange traded Islamic financial instruments. Bait Al Bursa signifies the 'Home of Exchanges', and represents the BFX's vision of providing a single venue for all the exchange traded business in the Islamic finance sector.

The BFX Training Institute (BFX-TI) is an internationally accredited training institute operating under the BFX providing world class conventional and Islamic financial training and development courses.

The BFX is a member of the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) and the Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB).

www.bfx.bh

For BFX media enquiries, please contact:                                      
Ghizlane Rahali
Senior Marketing and PR Manager
Bahrain Financial Exchange
Phone: +973 1651 1511
Email: ghizlane.rahali@bfx.bh

© Press Release 2012