| Hakim Hayat |
DELIBERATIONS and presentations on major changes and trends in the global business environment that influence the way corporate financing decisions are made by banking and financial institutions will be the focus of the International Finance and Banking Society (IFABS) Asia 2016 Brunei Conference which was officially opened yesterday.
The three-day conference at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas will gather regional academics, industry leaders and policymakers, while also featuring over 50 presentations by eminent experts on current developments and issues in banking and finance industry, particularly around the chosen theme ‘Corporate Finance Decisions in a Changing Global Environment’.
Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman, Minister of Education and Deputy Chairman of Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD), opened the conference which is co-organised by Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) and AMBD, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, University of Nottingham, University of Sheffield and University of Hull.
The IFABS conference aims to provide a forum for discussion and critical analysis of the major financial and banking challenges as well as for networking among academics, policymakers, research students and practitioners.
Vice-Chancellor of UTB, Associate Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman, in her speech said the general aim and interest of UTB, in particular its School of Business, to be part of the conference is to be at the heart of academic and policy debates on current issues in banking and finance.
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Professor Meryem Duygon of University of Nottingham and President of IFABS giving her speech
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Some of the attendees at the event. – PHOTOS: SIM YH
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Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman, Minister of Educa-tion and Deputy Chairman of Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam, in a group photo with senior officials from the Ministry of Education, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, International Finance and Banking Society (IFABS), and speakers and participants of the IFABS Asia 2016 Brunei Conference
“It will certainly expand our interna-tionalisation agenda in three strategic focus areas, namely teaching and learning, research and community engagement. The conference will strengthen UTB’s research capabilities by fostering scholarly collaboration and interaction, and we believe it will significantly help address issues critical for modern societies, which is of deep concern to the academic community,” she explained.
Professor Meryem Duygon of University of Nottingham and President of IFABS in her speech noted that in recent times, the core corporate finance activities of firms – ranging from sources of financing, designing of securities and practices of risk management to takeover methods – have all been affected by significant changes in the global business environment.
“We hope that this conference will help create a better understanding of some of the most significant emerging trends in corporate finance and how they can vary across different set ups,” she added.
Dr Mark Rhodes from University of Hull and IFABS Brunei Co-Chair noted that global financial and banking challenges continue as financial integration develops and the economic centre of gravity moves East, which makes the establishment of IFABS Asia in June last year timely.
“The re-examination of the function and risks in banking combined with a more difficult economic environment has made a deeper understanding of corporate finance and governance more urgent.”
During the opening, Yusof bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Managing Director of AMBD, presented a keynote paper titled ‘Islamic Finance – Steps for a Better Tomorrow’.
Other keynote presentations are from Professor William Megginson, Professor and Price Chair in Finance at the University of Oklahoma, on ‘The New Global Privatisation Wave’; Professor Naoyuki Yoshino, Dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute, on ‘SME Finance and Infrastructure Finance for Asian Economic Development’; and Ashishkumar Chauhan, CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange, on ‘Changing Contours of Global Capital Markets’.
Founded in 2008 in the United Kingdom, IFABS, with over 3,500 members from over 60 countries, is one of the world’s leading organisations dedicated to the promotion of research in banking and finance.
The society is recognised for the top quality research meetings and conferences it organises throughout the world.
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