The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), the leading bank in the UAE, has lined top dignitaries, renowned speakers and crucial decision-makers for its upcoming third annual Global Financial Markets Forum (GFMF).

GFMF 2011, organised by NBAD’s financial market division, will be held from March 2 to 4 at Yas Hotel on Yas Island.

“For the third year in the row National Bank of Abu Dhabi has organised an impressive programme for Global Financial Markets Workshop to serve our investors and clients,” said Mahmood Al Aradi, senior executive vice president of NBAD’s financial market division.

“In organising the GFMF, NBAD seeks to go beyond serving our esteemed investors and clients; we also aim to meet our commitment to achieving the goals of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, in this case to enhance the role of Abu Dhabi as a regional financial services centre.

“Organising this major event and gathering so many renowned policy-makers and talking heads in Abu Dhabi certainly helps to raise Abu Dhabi’s profile to new heights,” he added.

This year’s GFMF includes the investor presentation sessions, which targets top investment managers globally and regionally.

“I am pleased to announce that for GFMF 2011 we have broken the record in bringing together the most unique and unprecedented list of workshops and invitees to Abu Dhabi,” said Sameh Al Qubaisi, general manager of institutional & corporate coverage group at NBAD’s financial markets division.

“What makes the investor presentation sessions very special is that we arranged to bring bond issuers and potential issuers to the conference to discuss their credit story and future plans. This session will explore the direction that the Abu Dhabi Government and its entities would take in the planned development of the emirate,” Al Qubaisi added.

GFMF is preceded by the Global Financial Markets Islamic Forum on February 27 and 28. The Islamic Forum of GFMF will allow industry leaders, expert, decision-makers and observes to discuss and debate the most pressing issues facing the $1 trillion Sharia banking system.

At the conference, leading industry players and Sharia scholars will review and debate the needs and challenges of Islamic finance.

The Islamic Forum of GFMF will also explore the relationship between Abu Dhabi and Islamic finance, from international appetite for Abu Dhabi sukuk to recent steps taken to open up the UAE short term debt market. – TradeArabia News Service