Countdown to Dubai's unique Channels banking forum

Spanning globalisation, profitability and technology, Channels will be the biggest event of its type in the UAE this year, according to the organisers.

Experts are flying in from Europe, Asia and South Africa, Australia and the USA. Channels also comprises an exhibition for the top-tier of the financial services industry.

Venue for the forum and exhibition is the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza on Sheikh Zayed Rd. Doors to the exhibition open at 9am on Sunday April 25 and are remain open until 6pm.

In the lead-up to the event, Channels has been highly praised by the head of the UAE Central Bank.

HE Sultan bin Nasser Al Suwaidi, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE and Chairman of the National Anti-Money Laundering Committee of the UAE, said: "Channels is a key event facilitating interaction with senior financial service professionals both regionally and worldwide."

Channels is being held under the patronage of the Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE.

Authorities in the globalisation field will deal in-depth with the feisty issue of the Gulf States and the WTO, the awkward area of cross-border banking plus mergers and acquisitions.

Profitability subjects will cover multi-channel delivery strategies, banc-assurance, branding, product innovations and Islamic finance.
Technology aficionados will handle everything from risk mitigation to customer retention and operational efficiency.

More than 60 experts of international standing in the global financial sector will take the stage at the Channels strategy forum over the four days as either speakers, or in panel discussions.

"Channels is a unique event and it will tackle the most difficult issues in the industry" said Cordelia Henry, Conference Producer of IIR Exhibitions which is organising Channels.

Speakers represent a who's who of international and regional finance.

Mishal Kanoo, Deputy Chairman of the Kanoo Group, one of the largest family-owned, independent companies in the Gulf will address Channels.

Abdulrahim Mohammed Al Awadi, Assistant Executive Director and in Charge of Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious Cases Unit, Central Bank of the UAE, is a particularly highly regarded industry expert who will also be speaking at the event.

Also certain to generate considerable interest is Nazir Razak, CEO and Managing Director of Commercial International Merchant Bank (CIMB),
Malaysia, the country's premier investment bank.

In 2003, it was rated Best Domestic Investment Bank by Finance Asia and The Asset magazines. Razak was named 2003 Businessperson of the Year by the influential Asian Academy of Management. Razak's topic will be "Executing Your Growth Strategty".

Channels has also managed to secure a convicted money launderer who have served time in the US and since going straight have advised authorities on how to combat the laundering menace.

Channels will be held against a series of significant developments in the economic mechanisms of the region. A number of Gulf states, notably Bahrain and the UAE, have embarked on pushes to be major international financial players.

Some leading banking solution companies were still eager to sign up to exhibit with only days to go. Among those that booked in the last week was Zafin Labs, Buzz Contact Centre Solutions and Master Mind Technologies.

Other exhibitors that will be present include Alhamrani Universal Company Limited, Austria Card, Banctec, Computer Network Systems, Cybertech Telecom Development, Diebold, eWave Technology, Financial Network Services, Giesecke & Devrient, Gulf Bankers, IPC Information Systems, Mastercard, Odyssey, OpenWay, Raqmiyat, Unisys, Wincor Nixdorf and World-Check.