BMA Governor to lead discussions at WIBC 2005

"The BMA is once again delighted to support this annual event, which facilitates high level discussions and debate on the growth potential and challenges facing the Islamic banking and finance industry," said HE Al Maraj.

The WIBC is supported by the Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA), the central bank and regulator of the Kingdom's financial services industry, which comprises the banking, insurance and the capital market sectors.

This year's event will open with the prestigious Governors Table session, titled Regulation & Business: Creating a Framework for Islamic Banking & Finance to Thrive on Dec 11 at the Gulf International Convention Centre in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In addition to HE Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj other panellists for this session include HE Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, President, Islamic Development Bank; Dr. David Mullins, Chief Executive Officer, VEGA Institutional Advisors, USA; Wafik Grais, Senior Adviser, Financial Sector Global Partnership Group, The World Bank; Teo Swee Lian, Deputy Managing Director (Prudential Supervision), The Monetary Authority of Singapore; and Bilal San, Member of the Auditing Committee, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.

The Governors Table is hosted by Unicorn Investment Bank, an Islamic bank licensed and supervised by the BMA.

Majid Al-Sayed Bader Al-Refai, Chief Executive Officer of Unicorn Investment Bank, commented: "I see a new and most promising horizon of market opportunities in Islamic finance, not only in the Islamic world but across much of the globe. I firmly believe these exciting times offer those of us with expertise, vision and discipline the opportunity to realise our most ambitious goals."

The WIBC 2005 runs from December 10-12 with pre-conference briefings scheduled on December 10, and the main conference taking place on Dec 11 & 12. Participants will have the unique opportunity to network with the Governors Table panellists including Dr. David Mullins and other leading figures from the international finance industry.

Dr. David Mullins is also Chief Economist of Vega Asset Management (USA), one of the world's largest and best-known hedge fund managers. Throughout his 30-year career in finance, Dr. Mullins has served in senior positions in academia, government, and private sector finance. Dr. Mullins also served as Vice Chairman and Governor of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System where he focused on monetary policy, banking policy, and financial markets.

The Governors Table session will be moderated by Nima Abu-Wardeh, Presenter, BBC Middle East Business Report.