e-Bank 2002 - A forum to monitor the Middle East developments in the run-up to 2003

e-Bank, which follows the standard format of its international counterparts in London and New York, was established three years ago by the Institute for International Research. Its aim was to provide a vehicle for uniting banking professionals worldwide in a definitive Middle East forum whilst delivering the resources to share experiences of the new digital economy that is ripping up en masse many of the codes of traditional banking orthodoxy.

As part of the announcement, IIR yesterday issued a plea to the region's leading bankers and IT services Groups to recognise the opportunities presented by e-Bank 2002. "Our biggest threat in this industry is complacency and mistrust. It is time for the IT and financial services sector to unite in a shared vision of where we are going in this region - and to define, at least provisionally, how we can operate within the global economy whilst protecting the fundamental traditions of this part of the world," Anca Westley, Event Director continued.

The announcement of e-Bank 2002 by IIR came with a "who's who" of presenters from the banking sector worldwide including speakers from Singapore, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Cyprus and the US, and top regional players from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and the UAE. "The participation of these highly respected financial institutions, is one of many statements of just how important Middle East banking and overall economy has become on the global map".

Emerging business strategies, updated services, customer experiences and enabling technologies - in these areas and many others, e-Bank will bring global decision makers, buyers and business development managers in contact with the suppliers of the latest cutting edge technologies and applications.

IIR is calling for senior government, finance and IT regional involvement to specifically support e-Bank 2002. "It is imperative that no-one is excluded from this run-up conference to 2002 and we shall do everything we can to ensure that sponsors are recognised and that important individual and corporate contributions can be made". IIR concluded that "we are a grown-up region, with an opportunity to not only secure this region's prosperity, but put it on the radar screen of the global financial markets. Inward investment, enhanced consumer and business profitability are all up for the taking - but this region needs to build a clear, powerful and rigorous mission statement of intent."

"This is the single most important aim of e-Bank 2002 - and beyond."