Surveys have pointed out that at least one-third of Mena residents do not save any money, that two-thirds do not save enough or save on a regular basis, and that almost 80% of residents do not feel sure about their financial future.

 

Spotlighting these issues, the Arab Household Savings Conference 2022 will be held in Bahrain from March 29 to 30.  

 

The conference will have seven specialised discussion panels titled: the role of financial literacy in households’ financial decisions; are monetary easing and lower interest rates hurting savers?; the role of governments in protecting workers from income shocks; digitising finance and financial inclusion; towards building a regional household savings index; how to build a successful investment portfolio; and wealth transfer: multi-generational wealth planning.

 

The event will attract 25 speakers from heads and officials of digital banks, asset managers, insurance companies, wealth management providers, fintech businesses, financial analysts, and global economic institutions, who will speak in seven specialised sessions on the importance of financial resilience, and the best vehicles for household savings and asset accumulation.

 

The one-of-a-kind event addresses financial literacy, financial inclusion, digital finance, and household savings across the Mena region. 

 

“The conference will feature a discussion around building a regional household savings index, and ways to embed fiscal savings policies to serve national economies,” said Ebrahim K Ebrahim, Chairman of the Conference and CEO of Fintech Robos, the conference organiser. 

Ebrahim said that the event will explore the horizon for digital savings solutions that allow people in the Arab world to swiftly adapt a savings mindset. 

 

Mohamed Khayyata, CEO of Al Maryah Community Bank (first UAE digital bank); Anthony Scaramucci, Founder & Managing Partner of Skybridge (ex-Whitehouse Press Secretary), Cristobal Ridao-Cano, Lead Economist for Jobs & Social Protection at the World Bank; Elena Miteva, Principal Economist for Financial & Enterprise Affairs at the OECD; Ahmed Al-Hayki, Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs at Bahrain’s Ministry of Labour and Social Development; AbdelKadir Al Shehabi, Chairman of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions; Amal Mubarak, Acting Director of Beneficiaries Services at Bahrain’s Social Insurance Organisation; Dr Jarmo Kotilaine, Chief Planning & Monitoring Officer at Tamkeen; Natalie Westerbarkey, Head of EU Public Policy at Fidelity lnternational; Hamad Salmeen, Assistant Manager of Marketing and Innovation at Benefit; Altaf 

 

Kassam, EMEA Head of Investment Strategy & Research at SSGA; Marie Brière, Head of Investor Research Centre at Amundi; Nicolas Ghajar, CEO of Al Masar Investments, Ramzi Khleif, GM of Mena at Stashaway; Fatima Aziz, Executive Director of Morocco’s FMEF; Noha Shaker, Founder & Secretary General of the Egyptian Fintech Association; William Tohmé, Senior Regional Head for Mena at the CFA Institute; Richard Banks, Partner at Soling Partners; Sharmila Whelan, Deputy Chief Economist at Alethia Capital; Steve Cronin, Founder & CEO, Deadsimplesavings, Nigel Sillitoe, CEO of Insight Discovery, and Gabriel Goh, Managing Director of wealth management at FNZ, are amongst the conference speakers.

 

“Alongside the annual Arab Pensions Conference, we hope the household savings conference will contribute to powering the lively discussion that we have started in recent years to address the importance of financial literacy, household financial planning and pension savings,” added Ebrahim.

-- TradeArabia News Service