DUBAI, 21 March 2005 — Dubai named former senior Australian regulator David Knott yesterday to head its independent financial watchdog, a move bankers said should help restore confidence in the emirate’s new finance center. Knott, who headed the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), will become CEO of Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) on June 1, an official statement said. His predecessor, Phillip Thorpe, was fired last June over what industry sources said were differences on corporate governance. Knott’s role will be to regulate Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), a free zone and stock market that aims to attract global financial institutions to the Gulf emirate.