Leading players from the regional insurance and Takaful industry will be in Bahrain for the 13th Annual Middle East Insurance Forum (MEIF 2017), which opens in capital Manama next month.

Held under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain, MEIF is the region’s leading insurance platform and has played a key role for more than a decade in helping to shape and drive industry advancement. It will be held from February 20 to 21 at the Gulf Hotel.

It has also long served as a compass for determining the future direction of the regional insurance industry and as a guide to support insurance leaders and executives in planning their growth and development strategies.

MEIF partners with and attracts participation from the region’s largest insurance and reinsurance players making it the foremost gathering for industry engagement.  

This year’s event will focus on and explore “Current Challenges and their Implications on the Regional Insurance Industry - The Road Ahead" with the expected attendance of more than 400 global and regional Insurance and Takaful leaders and experts.

The region’s largest and longest running industry event, MEIF will see the participation of high level dignitaries, central bank representatives, economists, thought leaders, researchers and academics.

Also, supporting the development of the event through knowledge sharing and technical cooperation is The Bahrain Insurance Association (BIA), the industry body in the Kingdom tasked with helping to promote the growth and development of the local and regional insurance industry and an advocate on behalf of local insurers.

On the forum,  Abdul Rahman Al Baker, the executive director of financial institutions supervision at the CBB, said: "The 13th Middle East Insurance Forum will once again convene to deliberate and promote the way forward for the region’s Insurance and Takaful markets. Home to a vast number of Middle East and global insurers and as a leading financial hub, Bahrain is delighted to host this landmark annual forum."

MEIF 2017 will look closely at obstacles impeding more rapid growth and strategies for further expansion and industry advancement.

The keynote speakers and panellists will address a range of topics at the two-day event including:

*Industry consolidation through mergers and acquisitions
*The Role of Insurance companies in the current reform in Health Services
*Financial technology development in the Insurance Industry
*Challenges facing the Takaful industry  
*The implication of the introduction of VAT in the regional markets
*Environmental challenges in the Insurance sector

"We look forward to welcoming top industry leaders from across the Middle East and their international counterparts. Together, they will discuss existing challenges facing the insurance industry and the development of new innovative solutions and frameworks to effectively capitalize on emerging opportunities in the growing regional insurance market," he added.

The other highlights include a ceremony honouring the “Best Insurance Company in the Mena Region”.

The forum, being held in partnership with the CBB, will recognize extraordinary achievements in the industry by awarding the prestigious prize to the most outstanding regional insurer for the past year.-TradeArabia News Service