The world economy is rapidly evolving every year – each year seems to hold unexpected surprises that need to be overcome. This year the Seventh Global Financial Markets Forum (GFMF) will be held in Abu Dhabi and organized by the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD). The purpose of this forum is to discuss challenges and opportunities on the near horizon that face the world economy and see the perspectives of those who are regulators, bankers, politicians and other high level leaders.
2014 GFMF conference, source: https://www.gfmf-nbad.com/cms/Images/gallery/2014/1/_1DX5387.jpg
The conference will run from March 1st-2nd and is expected to draw over 1,300 attendees. The inaugural address will be given by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy and Chairman of NBAD, H.E. Nassar Ahmed Alsowaidi. The forum will be filled with numerous high profile financial, political and social leaders throughout the two days giving speeches covering challenges and opportunities they foresee. The first day’s keynote speakers include H.E. Hussain al Nowais who will give his views and ideas about “Industrialization in the UAE”; H.E. Sheikh NahayanMabarak Al-Nahayan – UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development; General Colin L. Powell and many more. Needless to say, this forum will have an excellent group of speakers with a large amount of diversity in their backgrounds and experiences.
This diversity and wealth of knowledge which accumulates here once per year is what has earned the NBAD Global Financial Markets Forum the prestige of many. It is rare that so many of the world’s most influential decision-makers and thinkers come together to discuss as one group. After this forum in March there will be another event held in Mumbai, India in June 2015.
The top five important industry sectors to the GFMF are financial institutions, energy, aviation and transportation, real estate and family conglomerates, and retailers. The goal of the Global Financial Markets series is to create a continuous discussion about these markets and how to improve them. This is why high profile thinkers and leaders such as Hussain al Nowais are coming to the UAE in March to have these discussions. The 1st day’s panel discussions cover “Vision Abu Dhabi 2030”, “the role of Asia within the West-East Corridor” and much more. Some of the panels’ speakers include Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi – Deputy roup CEO of Mubadala Development Company; Mark Schwartz – Vice Chairman of the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Nizar M. Al-Adsani – CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.
The second day will include discussions on “Sovereign Wealth Funds’ view on the world today”, “global asset manager and allocators” and more. These will generally include managers, bankers, investors and thought leaders looking to collaborate and further discuss how to tackle coming challenges and opportunities for countries that are industrializing. A couple of the speakers will be H.E. Mubarak Al Mansoori, Governor of the Central Bank of UAE and Sir Paul tucker – Former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England. The continued gathering of such an impressive array of leading thinkers and leaders in Abu Dhabi not only cements it as a global financial hub but cements the importance and power of the GFMF.