Qatar Hosts The 2nd Annual World Islamic Infrastructure Finance Conference

Oct. 11, 2007 - PRLog -- With project finance transactions reaching record highs and infrastructure development requirements assessed at more than $1 trillion over the coming decade in the Middle East region – and Qatar alone expected to consume $130 billion - demand from large-scale projects across the LNG, oil & gas, petrochemicals, power and water sectors in particular is growing at an exciting pace. Combined with the huge boom in major real estate projects, the stage is set for meeting the challenges of financing complex projects

The market is also seeing an increasing role in Islamically structured transactions and this is having a knock-on effect of spurring more innovative “next-generation” Islamic finance solutions.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural conference, the 2nd Annual World Islamic Infrastructure Finance Conference (WIIFC), to be held on the 4 and 5 of November at the Four Seasons Hotel, Doha, and will convene more than 250 senior executive delegates representing the international banking, finance, investment and key infrastructure sectors.

HE Yousuf Hussain Kamal, Minister of Finance of the State of Qatar & Chairman of the Qatar Financial Centre Authority will deliver the inaugural Address at the opening ceremony of WIIFC on the 4 November, and this opening plenary session will also feature HE Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saud Al-Thani, Governor of the Qatar Central Bank, who will deliver the keynote address.

HE The Governor will focus on the overall economic growth and the subsequent surge in major project funding in the region. He will also highlight the impact of the increase in the number of Islamic banks to 300, and institutions managing assets worth $300 billion. These banks are naturally interested in funding infrastructure projects, especially after they succeeded in devising financial tools that are Shariah compliant.  

The conference which is being held under the theme of ‘Partnering with Conventional Financial Institutions & Developers to Capture the Boom in Infrastructure Development’, will bring new insights into the latest mechanisms for financing complex transactions, such as: Identifying the Next Wave of Mega-Deals, Latest Innovations in the Application of Sukuk & Islamic Capital Markets & Project Finance: The Next Generation of Islamic Finance Solutions.

QNB Al Islami will be a Strategic Partner of the World Islamic Infrastructure Finance Conference for the 2nd year. Musadag el Melik, General Manager, QNB Al Islami is to deliver the opening presentation for Session 1, on the 4th of November, focusing on the Next Wave of Opportunities and Sources of Finance for Large-Scale Infrastructure Projects.  QNB Al Islami will also host the Shari’ah Open Forum which is a panel of Shari’ah experts addressing compliance issues in the context of Islamic infrastructure finance. QNB Al Islami is focused on creating innovative, specialised products that enable its clients to meet their financial needs, through Shari’ah-compliant solutions.

WIIFC 2007 is further cementing its position as the world-leading forum providing new insights into the growth potential of Islamic project finance and the outlook for the next wave of Mega-deals, assembling an unprecedented line-up of outstanding speakers from the Middle East, Europe, North America and Asia.

The conference has attracted the market leaders as sponsors, including players like Borouj Capital, Barclays Capital, Masraf Al Rayan, Ernst & Young, Al Safa Islamic Bank, Doha Islamic Bank, Calyon Corporate & Investment Bank, Fitch Ratings, Doha Bank, International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Calyx Financial, KPMG, DLA Piper, and Qatar Airways.

More information on the World Islamic Infrastructure Finance Conference is available on the official conference website www.megaevents.net/wiifc  

For further inquiries, please contact Sharon Pereira or Adil Jaouhari, Matrix Public Relations, Dubai.
Tel: 0097143430888
Fax: 0097143432226
Email: Sharon@matrixdubai.com   
          Adil.j@matrixdubai.com

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MEGA is the market leading business information firm focused on achieving business results for the global Islamic banking & finance industry since 1993. The portfolio of MEGA brands represents the landmark industry conferences and our clients are the leading players in the international financial markets.

For further information, please contact:
Zainab Hasan
Marketing & Media Manager
Middle East Global Advisors (MEGA)
Tel: +9714 3431200
Email: zainab@megaevents.net

Website: www.matrixdubai.com