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Regulatory Partner

The Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority is an independent regulatory body established by Article 8 of the QFC Law. It regulates firms that conduct financial services in or from the QFC. It has a broad range of regulatory powers to authorize, supervise and, when necessary, discipline firms and individuals. The QFC Regulatory Authority supervises firms using principles-based legislation based on international standards, modelled closely on that used in London and other major financial centres. Further details are available at www.qfcra.com.

The Qatar Financial Center is a financial and business centre established by the Government of Qatar and located in Doha. It has been designed to attract international financial services institutions and major multinational corporations and to encourage participation in the growing market for financial services in Qatar and elsewhere in the region. The QFC operates to international standards and provides a first class legal and business infrastructure for those doing business within the QFC. The QFC was created by QFC Law No. 7 of Qatar. It has been open for business since May 1 2005 and is now receiving applications.

Gold Sponsor

Arab Bank's mission has been the road map leading to its significant role in developing Arab economies through financing strategic infrastructural projects across the Middle East /North Africa region (MENA).

From the start, Arab Bank has always adopted a prudent banking policy which has led it to be the successful bank it is today, ranked among the largest international financial institutions, with a rating of A- from Fitch, A- from Standard & Poor's and A3 from Moody's. The Arab Bank has an unmatched Global Arab branch network with 500 branches spanning 30 countries in five continents. This network is based on the long-standing strategy to build a presence in regions that best fit the overall vision of Arab Bank to be the leading Arab financial institution of the Arab World.

Arab Bank is present in: Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Syria, Libya and Sudan. The bank also operates in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, UK, France, Italy, Spain, USA, Singapore, China (Shanghai and Hong Kong), South Korea, Kazakhstan, Australia and Turkey.

At end of June 2008, income before taxes and provisions rose to $616.8m, compared to $495.4m for the period ending on June 30, 2007.

Total assets of the Group on June 30, 2008, rose to $47.1bn compared to $35.7bn at the end of June 2007, representing an increase of 32.1 percent. Total shareholders equity also rose to reach $7.7bn, compared to $6.3bn for the same period last year, with a growth rate of 22.2 percent. These good results reflected positively on performance indicators of the group. Return on Assets reached 2.0 percent, while operating expenses to revenue ratio reached 42.5 percent.

The Bank's products and services fall within four major areas: personal banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth management, and Treasury. These all cater to serve the needs of individuals, corporations, government agencies and other international financial institutions. The Arab Bank has been and continues to be a key player in facilitating Pan-Arab trade, and in creating bridges connecting the world to MENA markets.

Gulf International Bank (GIB) is a leading merchant bank in the Middle East with its principal focus on the GCC states. With a proven track record spanning more than 30 years, GIB provides client-led, innovative financial products and services. Its client base includes major private-sector corporations, Gulf-based financial institutions, multinational companies active in the region and the governments of the GCC states.

GIB has gained an international reputation for project and trade finance and is a leading player in the regional syndicated loan market. The bank's financial strength is based on conservative asset and liability management policies, its high-quality asset profile and a strong capital base. More recently, the bank has increased its focus on merchant banking services, including corporate finance and asset management.

GIB was established in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1975. The Bank is owned by the six GCC governments and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency. In 1999, GIB acquired the London-based Saudi International Bank, which has subsequently been renamed Gulf International Bank (UK) Limited. GIB currently has branches in London, New York, Riyadh and Jeddah, in addition to representative offices in Beirut and Abu Dhabi.

Professional Legal Partners

Since 1840, Baker Botts lawyers have delivered legal solutions, guidance and support for our clients throughout the world. The firm maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Moscow, New York, Palo Alto, Riyadh and Washington, D.C. Combining the talents of more than 800 lawyers worldwide, Baker Botts offers clients a vast pool of experience to serve their specific needs and interests.

Our experience in providing legal advice to clients in the Middle East predates the opening of our first office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2001. In Riyadh, we are proud to work in association with the Law Office of Mohanned bin Saud Al-Rasheed. In 2005, we enhanced our ability to assist clients by opening an office in Dubai. Our Middle East offices are a success story, going from six lawyers in January 2007, to more than twenty fee earners including five partners and one special counsel today. We are committed to this region and continue to expand our team, the breadth of its coverage, the depth of its skills, and our geographic footprint. We expect to open an office in Abu Dhabi and to receive our DIFC license in early 2009.

The firm is recognized for our work in complex real estate and real estate finance transactions, energy and infrastructure projects, M&A, privatization, dispute resolution, and in the intellectual property area, among other capabilities. Baker Botts has represented clients on projects in the Middle East and throughout the world in the telecommunications, defense, real estate, manufacturing, power and water, transportation and banking industries, among others. The firm's lawyers have extensive experience in banking and finance, capital markets, corporate formation, business structuring, corporate governance, foreign investment, privatization, customs and government contracts, including Islamic finance and structuring Shari'a compliant security packages. Lawyers in our Middle East team are familiar with not only the published laws and regulations, but also the actual practice and administration of those laws and local business practice and culture. Our extensive hands-on experience in the region allows us to craft pragmatic and sometimes novel solutions to help our clients achieve their goals.

The firm is able to advise and opine on the laws of the UAE and with our Saudi Arabian joint venture partner, Mohanned bin Saud Al-Rasheed, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. www.bakerbotts.com.

DLA Piper is one of the world's largest legal services organizations with over 3,700 lawyers across 64 offices in 25 countries worldwide.

DLA Piper provides the full range of relationship-driven, international quality legal services required by local, regional and multinational companies investing into or outside of the Middle East region. DLA Piper also advises sovereign governments on policy and drafting new legislation.

DLA Piper's financial regulatory, structured products and government legislation advice is led in the Middle East by Al-Harith Sinclair, a specialist financial regulatory law partner with over 12 years of experience in financial regulation, structured products and government advice. Members of the team bring knowledge and experience of best practices from a number of regions and have worked in a number of jurisdictions. DLA Piper is well placed to advise clients and governments due to its unique commitment to providing a wide spectrum of world class specialist expertise from its offices in the region.

Al-Harith Sinclair and his team advise financial institutions and governments about a broad range of issues including new legislation, investigations, financial regulation, structured products and derivatives, anti-corruption, international trade and foreign investment, cross border mergers and acquisitions, new license applications, new product development, listing issues and ongoing regulatory compliance in the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Middle East.

Herbert Smith is a leading international law firm with a 1,200-lawyer network across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It provides advice from specialist lawyers based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the fields of corporate, construction and dispute resolution, energy and infrastructure and finance and has market-leading specialist expertise in private equity and Islamic finance.

With practitioners also experienced in work in Africa, India, Pakistan, Australia and Asia, its Dubai office is ideally equipped to work with Middle East clients investing in all these jurisdictions.

Herbert Smith has a team of more than 40 lawyers (including six partners) in our Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices and a formal and exclusive association in Saudi Arabia with the Al Ghazzawi Professional Association, one of the Kingdom's largest and leading law firms with offices in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.

Voted “Law Firm of the Year” (The Lawyer Awards 2008 and The Legal Business Awards 2008), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is a leading international law firm providing our clients with exceptional advice that makes a real difference to their business. Its international approach is founded on leading local capabilities and experience, backed up by the knowledge and experience of the wider firm.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's international financial services and regulatory practice is one of the leading international practices for specialist financial services advice and one of the strongest integrated regulatory practices. It provides a first class advisory service to clients in all sectors of the financial services industry. With close to 50 lawyers in our offices in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and in Riyadh through its association with the Law Firm of Fares Al-Hejailan, it is well placed to meet its clients' needs across a range of industry sectors and Middle East jurisdictions. Aryan Schoorl, who heads the Middle East regulatory practice, was formerly a senior regulator within the DFSA. He was involved in the creation of the DFSA’s supervisory framework.

Professional Services Partner

For the last 20 years CCL has been guiding companies through the complexities of financial services regulation. So its customers can concentrate on their business—while CCL helps with their regulatory responsibilities.

We can take you through every part of the compliance process. And because compliance is all we do, you know you’ve got experienced professionals working on your behalf. Our Directors, Senior Consultants and Consultants have worked in every area of the financial services industry and in every area of regulation.

CCL is uniquely placed to provide the widest range of regulatory compliance services including:

• Authorization
• General compliance
• Documentation
• Anti-Money laundering
• Risk management
• Corporate governance
• Disciplinary actions
• Regulatory & compliance training

To date, the CCL Group has helped more than 500 organisations become authorized and has been operating in the Middle East since 2006, with offices in Dubai and Doha.

Emcredit is the UAE’s pioneer information services company formed in January 2006 in accordance with the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Emcredit provides enterprise and credit information solutions, offering credit information reports, data veri?cation, data enrichment, decision support analytics and other tools necessary to improve customer acquisition, assessment, servicing, debt collection and portfolio management. We provide a range of comprehensive, accurate and timely information solutions such as credit bureau services, check-honoring reports, business background reports and other risk assessment tools.

Emcredit’s decision support tools enable private and public entities to gain a greater perspective into the risk profiles of individuals and companies, thereby empowering them to make more informed business decisions.

Emcredit collects, collates and disseminates credit-related information from multiple sources including government departments, financial institutions, businesses and consumers. This includes the credit history and identiifcation of individuals and companies registered in the UAE. It uses stringent procedures to ensure that the data is relevant, accurate and up-to-date. All its data is managed and processed in a way that ensures the utmost protection and integrity.

The company has a rich database encompassing individuals and companies in the UAE, including 5.6 million consumer identification records, payment behaviour information on consumer and commercial borrowers and 35 per cent of mortgage data in the UAE. It has established data-sharing agreements with several government departments, to power its information solutions. These government entities include Dubai e-Government, Dubai Police, Department of Economic Development (DED), Dubai Land Department and its subsidiary, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority.

Emcredit is registered as a private entity and is based in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), which is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). Emcredit operates in line with the DIFC’s Data Protection Law.

Lunch Sponsor

Compliance Recruitment Solutions is the leading specialist recruitment consultancy, with its UK office comprising five former compliance officers (the MD is a chartered accountant and previously deputy head of group compliance for a FTSE 100 insurance & investment management group). As compliance professionals by background, the company firmly believes in offering an ethical and professional service compared to the sales-driven approach of its competitors. Additionally, as technical experts, its services include advising on the balancing of criteria expected for a particular role and/or salary level, as well as the structure of a role or department including compiling job specifications if required.

It has been recruiting compliance staff in the GCC region since 2005 (opening its first Dubai office that year), in 2007 it teamed up with CCL Ltd Dubai, the region’s specialist compliance consultants, in order to service its GCC business effectively. Also, it has offices in Singapore and Sydney under its former deputy MD from London (himself a former compliance manager) which will assist with sourcing and interviewing candidates from Australasia.

Endorsement

BearingPoint, Inc. (NYSE: BE) is one of the world's largest providers of management and technology consulting services to Global 2000 companies and government organizations in 60 countries worldwide. Based in McLean, Va., the firm has more than 17,000 employees focusing on the Public Services, Financial Services and Commercial Services industries. BearingPoint professionals have built a reputation for knowing what it takes to help clients achieve their goals, and working closely with them to get the job done. Our service offerings are designed to help our clients generate revenue, increase cost-effectiveness, manage regulatory compliance, integrate information and transition to “next-generation” technology. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.BearingPoint.com

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is an “onshore” financial centre, offering a convenient platform for leading financial institutions and service providers. The DIFC has been established as part of the vision to position Dubai as an international hub for financial services, and as the regional gateway for capital and investment.

Between the financial centres of Europe and South East Asia lies a region comprising over 42 countries with a combined population of approximately 2.2 billion people. Yet, this vast region, stretching from the western tip of North Africa to the eastern part of South Asia had, until 2004, been without a world-class financial centre.

The DIFC aims to play a pivotal role in meeting the growing financial needs and requirements of the region while strengthening links between the financial markets of Europe, the Far East and the Americas.

The mission of the DIFC is to be a catalyst for regional economic growth, development and diversification by positioning the DIFC as a globally recognised financial centre. The centre has been designed to attract regional liquidity back into investment opportunities within the region and contribute to its overall economic growth.

The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), a strategic initiative of the Government of Dubai, was established in 2002 with a mandate to provide the physical, market and financial infrastructure required to set up a commodities market place in Dubai. It offers a unique opportunity for market participants in a wide range of commodities industries in four broad sectors including:

• precious commodities — gold, diamonds, coloured stones and pearls
• energy-related sectors — Liquid Natural Gas (LNG), reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and development of oil storage infrastructure
• steel and base metals; and
• soft agricultural commodities — tea, cotton, etc.

The Centre aims to attract essential players throughout the entire value chain of each of these commodity sectors, together with relevant support industries such as finance, logistics and insurance.

DMCC was the first United Arab Emirates (UAE) free zone authority to offer freehold business premises, in addition to all other standard free zone services. These comprise a 50-year holiday on personal and income taxes, full foreign ownership of business and a one-stop shop facility for processing of all documentation including immigration and licensing needs. Rated 'A' by Standard & Poor's, DMCC is the first entity in Dubai and the second in the UAE to receive a full interactive rating from the world’s leading provider of independent credit ratings.

Since 2007, DMCC has implemented a dedicated compliance policy in the organization. This is constantly updated and is in line with the compliance-related laws and regulations of the UAE Federal Government and the competent international bodies. DMCC also strives to maintain a good reputation and high level of compliance in accordance with international standards. The DMCC reached a significant milestone in April 2007 when it welcomed its 1000th member company on board. Since then, the Centre has been going from strength to strength, enhancing both its commodities portfolio and range of industry-specific service offerings.

Founded in 1984, EastNets™ is engaged in the provision of enabling confidential solutions primarily for the financial, corporate, and government sectors. It is a Swift Regional partner, and has other strategic global alliances such as CheckFree and Double Take. EastNets™ acts as Value Added Reseller (VAR) to the selected financial application solutions. It also develops propriety software, such as Integration Applications, Anti Money Laundering Applications, Swift Empowerment applications, and card Issuing Software. EastNets™ extends outsourcing services to its clients through its Service Bureau, which is one of the leading centers in the region.

With 14 offices worldwide and more than 300 employees, EastNets™ serves around 900 banks in more than 120 countries around the globe. In addition, the Outsourcing Service Bureau serves more than 200 banks. EastNets™ brings 25 years of experience in the regional payment and security market.

Essdar Capital Limited is a principal finance and advisory firm set up in Dubai International Financial Centre and authorized by the by the Dubai Financial Services Authority.

Essdar Capital Limited brings innovative financial solutions to its clients and has earned global recognition for a unique philosophy suited to the needs of the emerging markets.

Through its renowned advisory and arranging capabilities, it provides clients with the results for their structuring and financing needs.

The ICA is a professional organization with a global membership. It is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in compliance, anti-money laundering and financial crime prevention. Working in the financial services sector, the ICA delivers certificated learning through its exclusive training division, International Compliance Training, ICT. It delivers comprehensive education programs and develops and supports professionals globally.

Simmons & Simmons is a world-class law firm, providing clients with commercially aware legal advice whenever and wherever they need it. We have over 2,000 legal staff in 20 offices situated in key business and financial centres across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

We understand that our firm is only equal to the strengths of our people and place great emphasis on recruiting and retaining lawyers who meet our high standards. Our philosophy for international growth has been to build practices around local lawyers who understand the country's culture, business and language. In doing so, we believe that we have succeeded in achieving the right balance between respecting local cultures and delivering a global service.

Simmons & Simmons has demonstrated its commitment to the Middle East for more than 30 years. Between 1994 and 2005 Simmons & Simmons has opened three offices in the Middle East - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar. It now has 50 lawyers working in the region providing a wide range of services for its clients.

Its services in the Middle East include projects, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate governance and a full finance practice including a specialist Islamic finance team.

• UAE Banking and Finance Firm of the Year.
  Asian Counsel Awards 2007
• Recommended for corporate, banking and finance work.
  PLC Which Lawyer? UAE 2006, 2007 and 2008
• “The Simmons & Simmons team were instrumental in the success of this acquisition and provided their usual high standard of seamless cross border support.”
  CEO of TAQA
• “Simmons & Simmons played a vital role in this transaction, which involved the acquisition of drilling rig businesses in five different jurisdictions spanning the Middle East and the sub-continent.”
  Head of Project Finance at Bank Muscat

Vizor is the premium provider of product-based B2G (Business to Government) software solutions worldwide, with offices in Dublin, Ireland and Dubai, UAE.

Our customers are government and quasi-government organisations that are tasked with the collection and analysis of complex data relating to business activity within their jurisdiction. We have a blue-chip customer base spanning the globe. Without exception, all of our customers are repeat customers, demonstrating the level of satisfaction that we commit to and achieve throughout our projects.

Our solutions are based around the implementation of our flexible product, In-Reg. We provide world-class services to implement the product and customize it where required. We also provide extensive training and coaching with a focus on skills transfer.

Media Sponsor

AME Info - The ultimate Middle East Business Resource is the leading online provider of business information in and about the Middle East. The audience visiting AME Info's web site comprises primarily business executives and professionals from the Middle East and EMEA offices worldwide. AME Info provides current, dedicated, focused information in daily news wires, editorial columns, special feature articles, reports, video and radio features, including detailed business directory information and event listings. AME Info also offers a range of advertising and marketing possibilities. We operate in English and Arabic language.

AME Info consistently seeks to improve and advance its services, and is at the forefront of online innovation. AME Info was the first site in the Middle East to have its traffic independently audited by ABC ELECTRONIC. Including official affiliations (MEPRA, IAA) we provide news to major world news organizations (CNN, Reuters). Our technology and standards include 24/7 Real Media Open AdStream, W3C and a TRUSTe privacy statement.

AME Info's additional benefits include personalized start pages, free webmail, discussion forums, "the news you choose" watchlist, free access to video and audio, and weather forecasts. Users can request information and contact companies, add business details and events, and save favorites.