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THE 9th GCC Banking Conference will be taking place in the Kingdom of Bahrain on March 24-25, 2009 at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa.
It will be held under the patronage of Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) in cooperation with Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Secretariat General is organising this conference under the theme 'A New Era in International Banking Practices: Implications for the GCC Markets'.
The event has been taking place for over 15 years, and is hosted by each of the Gulf countries in rotation.
It will feature two keynote speakers: Sir Howard Davies, director of the London School of Economics (LSE); and Dr Martin Feldstein, professor of economics at Harvard University and president emeritus of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Sir Howard will speak on 'Global Financial Market Developments'. He was chairman of the Financial Services Authority, which is the single regulator for the UK financial sector and was created from nine separate regulatory agencies under his leadership. He also served as deputy governor of the Bank of England.
Dr Feldstein, the keynote speaker for day two, will speak on 'Government Intervention during the Financial Crisis'. He was previously chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors and President Reagan's chief economic advisor. He served as president of the American Economic Association in 2004; and in 2006, President Bush appointed him to be a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
Rasheed Al Maraj, Governor of the CBB, welcomed the 9th GCC Banking Conference to Bahrain, saying: "We are delighted to be hosting this conference for the second time since it was first hosted by the kingdom in 1996. This year represents a tremendous shift in fiscal policies across the globe and we are delighted to be playing a key role in redefining best banking practices for the GCC region."
The prestigious line-up of speakers will feature a number of leading experts from international institutions, regulatory agencies, educational institutions, and banking and financial organisations.
This important financial forum will be attended by all the governors of the GCC central banks and monetary agencies, heads of GCC capital markets and senior bankers from the region, as well representatives of the world's leading international financial institutions.
The theme aims to provide a platform for participants to discuss the most pertinent challenges currently affecting the GCC financial markets, in addition to opportunities for growth, and to discuss overall industry trends within the global economy. For further information, contact the conference manager: Eventscom on 17226775, 17226698 or visit www.gcc-bc.com
