GCC investment leaders welcome the first regional summit For IPO

The Summit will be held on 25 - 28 February 2006 at the new Al Murooj Rotana Hotel, at the heart of Dubai's new financial district.

The Summit is designed to examine the recent surge of IPOs in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the GCC, the regulatory changes that will affect public offerings, as well as to act as a meeting place for industry executives to liaise with some of the GCC's largest private and family-owned businesses now considering IPO.

"Our region is embarking on a revolution in the regulatory environment surrounding its capital markets. The anticipated changes will transform the way businesses raise and access capital in the future. The time is right to consider the implications," said Khaled Sifry, Managing Director - Investment Banking, Shuaa Capital on the timing of the IPO Summit.

Further topics to be addressed are the effects of IPO and oversubscriptions on capital markets and liquidity, avoiding the IPO-fueled market downturn from 1997 - 1998, examining case studies from some of the region's most successful and disastrous IPOs, risk management strategies for 'greenfield' offerings, IPO marketing, capital generation alternatives to IPO, reporting standards and corporate governance, the future of book-building in the Middle East, the legal framework, and educating investors and owners on how to prepare for an IPO, as well as the advantages and risks involved.

"We are very excited about the 1st Middle East IPO Summit. With oversubscription rates breaking records on a regular basis, clearly there is a lot of activity in the market right now for IPOs. At the same time, married to this exuberance is a need for further dialogue among professions as well as market education on where the wisdom lies in launching and investing in IPOs" said Christopher Worth, IPO Summit Conference Manager.

The Summit is organised by IIR Middle East and will include two post-conference workshops to focus on pertinent issues for companies considering going public.

Visitors to the Summit will be chairmen and CEOs of private and family-owned GCC companies, investment bankers, private equity executives and bankers from throughout the GCC as well as from global financial centers in the United States, Europe and Asia.