Hedge Funds Conference gets underway in Bahrain

The opening session was attended by His Excellency Mr Rasheed Muhammed Al-Maraj, the Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain.

The conference is being attended by a number of leading investors from various Gulf nations, in addition to hedge fund managers from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Asia and the United States, who have been discussing the latest strategies for alternative investments.

Investcorp Managing Director Sewanyana Kironde welcomed the participants. He was followed by the co-heads of hedge funds at Investcorp, Ibrahim Gharghour and Deepak Gurnani, who presented a review of global strategies for hedge fund activity. Their presentation stressed the importance of studying risks and managing them wisely in order to attain balanced investments.

Investcorp has more than 10 years' experience in hedge funds. At present it manages $6.4bn in hedge fund assets, making it one of the biggest international investors in this area. Hedge funds are now being used in the portfolios of institutional investors and high net worth individuals as an alternative means of maximising returns and increasing wealth.

In collaboration with the conference organizers, Investcorp has designed this summit to facilitate discussion about the various hedge fund strategies, about the means of addressing geographic distribution and about Islamic Shari'a compliance in the Middle East market, which is growing at a rapid pace.

The opening presentations were followed by several working sessions focusing on key issues under discussion at the conference. These included the latest legislation on hedge funds in the region; a review of hedge fund operations in the Middle Eastern market; emerging markets and how to successfully set up and market hedge funds in the region, and studying optimal investment strategies.

This is the first time a conference dedicated to hedge funds has been held in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The sessions are being held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the capital, Manama, under the sponsorship of Investcorp in collaboration with Bahrain Financial Services Development.

The conference, which continues until Wednesday night, has offered unique opportunities for communication and interaction among the participants. The opening day also featured a "Day at the Races" at the Bahrain International Circuit, and a banquet dinner.