Programme

Turbulence, like everything else, is relative. As economic prospects elsewhere continue to be uncertain, parts of the Middle East – mainly the GCC countries – are assuming the unlikely role of oasis: a relatively stable opportunity both for portfolio and direct investment. The region is already well established as a trading and transportation hub, connecting Asia, Africa and the west. But it is the burgeoning private sector that is the most significant indicator of progress.

More than 1000 substantial private companies now comprise a newly corporatized environment that, in turn, is driving development, the demand for more sophisticated education, export growth and profitability across diverse sectors. This, and favourable demographics, is creating a sophisticated and wealthy consumer class eager to buy domestic goods and services. It is creating new chains of buyers and suppliers and substantial non-oil wealth. Cash held by Middle Eastern corporates as a buffer against external shocks could reach $2 trillion by the end of 2013.

So, while the Middle East as a whole may still be a small component of global population and GDP, developments from politics to population will continue to create opportunities for those willing to take the political risks that still exist, particularly in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.

This conference will focus on the potential and growth of the Middle East and how companies operating or headquartered here can take advantage of opportunities. What are the right treasury and
cash structures that can underpin business growth?

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