14th MENA Regulatory Summit Opens Tomorrow in Abu Dhabi

The 14th MENA Regulatory Summit in Abu Dhabi will open tomorrow, 25th October, under the patronage of the Executive Office of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT), in cooperation with Refinitiv, a London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) business.

The summit is a must-attend event for professionals working in compliance, risk, regulation, and financial services, as well as their counterparts in government and law enforcement.

It is expected that 150 delegates will attend, with large numbers coming from the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Bahrain.

The agenda will cover the latest developments in the UAE's fight against financial crime, in addition to some of the most debated issues in AML/CFT today, such as FATF updates and global regulatory developments, the latest developments in global sanctions, public-private sector partnerships, virtual assets – opportunities and risks and technology developments to fight financial crime.

Panel sessions will feature leading figures from international organisations at the frontline of the fight against financial crime, including John Cusack, Chairman of the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime; Suliman Al-Jabrin, MENA FATF Executive Secretary; and Takahide Habuchi of the Japan Financial Service and FATF Policy Working Group, among others.

Hamid Al Zaabi, Director-General of the EO AML/CTF, welcomed the hosting of the MENA Regulatory Summit in Abu Dhabi and drew attention to its importance in strengthening cooperation.

He explained, "We are pleased with the return of the MENA Regulatory Summit, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are delighted at the Executive Office of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing to be partners and host the event in Abu Dhabi.

"International cooperation is crucially important in our efforts to fight financial crime, and the UAE has continued to make substantial progress in this regard by signing new joint training and research initiatives and sharing knowledge, such as typologies specific to the region.

We look forward to sharing our experience and building new relationships at the summit next week.

Delegates from the UAE and the region can look forward to a strong and topical agenda."

Nadim Najjar, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Data and Analytics, London Stock Exchange Group, said, "The COVID-19 pandemic undeniably redefined what business as usual has meant to numerous organisations across the globe.

In the risk space, a sudden and dramatic increase in online activity was almost immediately matched by steep rises in cybercrime, fraud, and a plethora of other online crimes as financial criminals exploited new opportunities.

The regulatory summit is a vibrant community forum to address the key compliance themes impacting our regional markets.

We remain committed to helping firms adopt a strategic and holistic approach to managing and mitigating risk."