Standard Chartered sponsor the 2006 Euromoney/DIFC Annual Conference in Dubai

The focus of the conference is to explore the management of superabundant liquidity in the Middle East region. Global and regional institutions responsible for the management of this liquidity are to participate in this final conference of the DIFC financial week.

The event will take the format of keynote addresses, interactive panel discussions, a series of break-out workshops including networking breaks and social events.

In 2005, Euromoney organised a very successful conference in collaboration with DIFX which explored the development of regional capital markets. Building on the success of the inaugural event, the 2006 conference will examine the following issues:

• The change in GCC regional economic emphasis - particularly the change in the role of the state across the region and what it means for capital markets and the corresponding growth in bi-directional capital flows between the GCC and India, China and other Asian markets.
• The role of Dubai as the natural gateway between Asian and European/North American economies.
• The change in long-term capital flows and how it will create real opportunities for financial institutions.
• Dubai, DIFC and regional companies - can they capitalise on this trend?

A host of eminent international speakers will speak at the conference including H.E. Dr. Omar Bin Sulaiman, Governor of DIFC, David Eldon, Chairman of the Board of Directors, DIFC, Shayne Nelson, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered, Gulf and Levant, Malcolm Walker, Senior Executive Officer of Standard Chartered in DIFC, and Mohsin Khan, Director, Middle East and Central Asia, Department of International Monetary Fund.

Gavin Rochussen, Chief Executive of Fleming Family & Partners, UK-based provider of asset management and Family Office services to high net worth families, a strategic partner of Standard Chartered Bank and, Monica Malik, Senior Economist of Standard Chartered's Middle East and Pakistan region, will also participate at the Conference.

Shayne Nelson, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered, Gulf and Levant said, "Standard Chartered is delighted to be the lead sponsor of the conference that addresses one of the burning issues in the region's financial sector today. As a leading international bank in the region, and also as one of its longest-serving banks, we need to assist businesses, regulators and analysts alike to understand this phenomenon, which will increasingly dominate the financial scene."

Malcolm Walker, Senior Executive Officer of Standard Chartered in DIFC noted, "A key area of focus for the DIFC, is the evolution of Family Office's in the region. The DIFC recognizes, as we know from experience, that being the right partner to our clients is more than just selling a product or service. Transparency, conflict resolution, succession planning, education, counseling are terms that go hand in hand with wealth protection and growth. The more we know about our client the better able we are to serve his needs. This will be the focus of our workshop at Euromoney."

"We were the first bank to obtain a commercial banking license in DIFC and also the only bank to own a building on the DIFC precinct. As a member of Hawkamah-Institute of Corporate Governance we kicked off DIFC Week by participating in Hawkamah's conference on developing sound financial markets and banking systems in the MENA Region. .Our Sponsorship of the Euromoney/DIFC conference further underlines our commitment to the development of financial markets in this region."