Welcome to the 2012 Middle East Regional Conference.

We have created the programme for this Regional Conference - taking place on 27-28 March 2012 in Abu Dhabi, UAE – to reflect the complex backdrop against which the Middle East financial markets are operating.

Ongoing political instability in the region and considerable uncertainty in the global financial markets are creating challenges for financial services players in the Middle East. Yet there remain significant opportunities for the region’s financial markets. Our aim at the Regional Conference is to explore how the Middle East’s financial communities can overcome the challenges and realise the opportunities to position themselves for further growth in the future.

The programme combines plenary sessions and interactive debates to address a number of key questions. How should the region’s banks position themselves to most effectively capitalise on the opportunities available in the current financial landscape? What has been the impact of the turmoil of recent months on banks’ compliance and know your customer practices – and what is the best way to deal with this challenge? And, given the uncertainty that remains in the marketplace, where should banks be competing, and where should they collaborate for mutual success?

Other important topics up for discussion will include optimising liquidity management for corporates, the operational costs of remittances, and the future evolution of the securities markets in the region.

In addition, SWIFT will demonstrate how we continue to deliver the highest levels of service to our communities in the Middle East through an update on the progress of our 2015 strategy, and a series of work sessions covering a range of our products and services – including business continuity, connectivity, the SWIFT Alliance portfolio, Consultancy Services, Sanctions Screening, Business Intelligence and 3SKey.

We hope you will join us at the Middle East Regional Conference on 27-28 March. The event will present an unrivalled opportunity to hear first-hand the views of key figures from your region’s financial community about a range of issues that are critical for the development of the Middle East’s financial markets – and to your institution’s ability to turn today’s challenges into future opportunities.

We look forward to meeting you in Abu Dhabi.