RIYADH, 28 May — Five hundred leading financiers and investors from the Kingdom and abroad will be attending the two-day “Saudi Arabia: Financing the Future” conference beginning here tomorrow.
The conference has been organized by Euromoney in conjunction with the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency.
Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi will deliver the keynote address, with the opening address by Minister of Finance and National Economy Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf and the welcome address by Sir Patrick Sergeant, president and founder, Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC.
The conference will focus on direct foreign investment, global investment strategy, privatization and deregulation, investment in oil, gas and mineral resources, and banking and the stock market. There will be roundtable discussions and workshops as well.
In a statement issued here, Riyad Bank has said it is participating in the conference within the framework of its policy of supporting national economic development. The bank has invited a number of clients, businessmen and investors to attend the conference. It said Alan Thompson, Riyad Bank’s president and CEO, will deliver the plenary address at one of the sessions. He will speak on “The role of Saudi Arabian and international banks in financing future investments.”
On the second day of the conference, Riyad Bank will host a workshop which will be chaired by Talal Al-Qudaibi, deputy chief executive officer. The workshop, entitled “Practical approaches to financing future development in the Kingdom” will present two case studies relating to the petrochemical and power sectors.
Other participants include AlBank AlSaudi AlFransi, Al-Rajhi Banking and Investment Corporation, Getronics, Gulf International Bank, JP Morgan and the National Commercial Bank.
Ericsson and the Saudi American Bank are the other sponsors.
In the panel discussion on foreign direct investment chaired by Prince Abdullah ibn Faisal, leading corporations will discuss motivations for investing in the Kingdom and the incentives that would encourage further investment.
Simon Hardie, conference manager, said the two-day event will offer a significant networking opportunity for all the participants.
