With a booming stock market up 17 percent year-on-year in April and a renewed government program to drive investment in infrastructure, education, health and social services, the Saudi economy is attracting more international investor attention than ever before.

The Euromoney Saudi Arabia Conference, taking place on May 5-6 May in Riyadh, brings together global financial leaders and senior government figures to analyze whether the current boom will deliver sustainable economic growth, or whether the challenges that face the Kingdom will impede the positive economic momentum.

The timing of the event is particularly significant, following the April 15 announcement by the Kingdom’s regulator that it will open the market to direct foreign investment for the first time in June.

Major speakers at the 10th anniversary of this agenda-setting conference include Jean Lemierre, chairman of BNP Paribas, claimed to be the world’s third largest bank as measured by total assets.

He will be joined by U.K. Sinha, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator responsible for one of the world’s most dynamic securities markets, and Robert Parker, senior adviser, Credit Suisse, who will give a presentation on the international perspective on the stock exchange opening.

Ahead of the conference, Parker said: “The opening of the Saudi capital markets to foreign investors is an important development for the Saudi economy and the fact that the process is being well managed in a measured way is positive for the longer term interests of investors.”

Providing perspective from within the Kingdom will be senior government ministers, including Minister of Finance Ibrahim Al-Assaf and Capital Market Authority Chairman Mohammed Al-Jadaan.

Recently, the government outlined four main investment areas essential for delivering sustainable economic growth and supporting job creation in the Kingdom — infrastructure, education, health and social services.

A combination of public investment and private sector support will be essential to achieving key goals in these areas. In particular, analysts believe that Saudi Arabia’s investment in the development of Islamic finance and the expansion of the range of Islamic-approved financial tools is likely to play a significant role in the coming years.

As part of the 10th Anniversary revamp of the Euromoney event, the organizers have worked with government partners to reshape the agenda, focusing specifically on the areas where national and international private capital can play a role in the Kingdom’s growth story. Speakers at the event will bring real insight into the changing business landscape, making this year’s conference one of the most essential in its history.

This year’s Euromoney Saudi Arabia Conference, which is co-hosted with the Ministry of Finance, is taking place at the Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh.