Agenda (BST)
Day 1, Monday 22nd June
09:00 – 11:00 Financing Iraq – A New Chapter
- A summary of Iraq’s finance post Covid-19.
- Iraq’s budget & fiscal plan with current historically low oil prices.
- Iraq’s monetary policy objectives to restore rapid economic growth.
- The CBI’s strategy to increase money supply in the local Iraqi economy.
- Financing Iraq’s energy reform.
- H.E Dr Ali Al Allaq, Governor, Central Bank of Iraq
- Wadee Al-Handal, President, Iraqi Private Banks League
- Dr Ziad Khalaf, Chairman, IDB Iraq
- Dr Mahmoud Dagher, Director, Financial Operations, Central Bank of Iraq
- Faisal Al Haimus, Chairman & President, Trade Bank of Iraq
- Faruk Mustapha Rasool, Chairman, Faruk Holdings
- Joe Anis, President & CEO, MENA & South Asia, GE Gas Power
- Noor Al-Handal, Chairman, Ashur Bank
Speakers:
Moderator: Ahmed Jadir, Managing Partner, Frontier Exchange
11:00 – 12:15Iraq’s Energy Outlook [Panel Discussion]
- Rehabilitating the power sector. Meeting increasing electrical demand and reforming tariffs.
- How has Iraq’s large power and gas flaring projects change with an amended budget?
- Reforming Iraq’s oil economy. A pivotal moment.
- Iraq’s role in OPEC and the new oil economy.
- Ahmed Ramadan, CEO, PGESCo
- Ali Al-Saffar, MENA Programme Manager, IEA
- Herman Wang, Managing Editor, OPEC & Middle East News, S&P Platts
Speakers:
Rasheed Al Janabi, Deputy CEO & Government Affairs Director, Iraq & Levant, General Electric
12:15 – 12:45 Opening of the Online Exhibition. General Event Networking
12:45 – 13:00 Spotlight Presentation – Iraq’s Fiscal Reform Process. A Regional Perspective
- Alia Moubayed, MENA Chief Economist & MD, Jefferies
13:00 – 14:00 The Future Investment Landscape of Iraq [Panel Discussion]
- Macroeconomic reform in Iraq. The role of the state in reforming the public sector and creating an enhanced environment for FDI.
- Fiscal, legislative and judicial reform to improve the Iraqi investment climate.
- How to overcome the barriers to investment in Iraq. A political economy approach.
- The investor perspective in Iraq. What opportunities are available to investors?
- Alia Moubayed, MENA Chief Economist & MD, Jefferies
- Bilal Rabah Sugheyer, Iraq Senior Country Officer, IFC
- Wael Mansour, Senior Economist, World Bank
- Luay Allawi, Chairman, Saracen Group
Speakers:
Moderator, Dr Renad Mansour, Chatham House
14:00 – 17:00 Pre-Scheduled 1-2-1 Meetings
Day 2, Tuesday 23rd June
09:00 – 09:45Iraq’s Sovereign Challenges & Opportunities
- Overview of the upcoming Iraqi budget.
- Diversifying the Iraqi economy.
- Iraq’s sovereign challenges & opportunities.
- Hussain Qaragholi, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank
- Salem Chalabi, Advisor to H.E The Prime Minister of Iraq
- Toby Iles, Director, Sovereigns EMEA, Fitch Ratings
Speakers:
09:45 – 11:00 The Future of Iraq’s Banking & Finance Sectors [Keynote Presentations]
- The payment landscape in Iraq: Disruptors & solutions to payment mechanisms.
- Encouraging retail and corporate banking services in Iraq.
- The importance of the ISX and listed companies to take part in the digital world.
- Supporting Iraq’s future banking and financial sector.
- Dr Waleed Eidy, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Iraq
- Taha Abdulsalam, CEO, Iraq Stock Exchange
- Aysegul Ozge Ozgur, SVP, Head of Research, Rabee Securities
- Ridha Al Shabibi, Director, Country & Governance Head Iraq, Citi
Speakers:
Moderator: Hani Idris, Executive Consultant, Arab Payment Services, APS Iraq
11:00 – 11:30 General Event Networking
11:30 – 12:30 Financial Inclusion in Iraq [Keynote Presentations]
- Enhancing the operational environments & developing trust within the banking sector.
- Creating a legal ecosystem that enables FinTech’s to thrive and banks to digitise.
- Educating for Employment: Preparing Iraq’s Youth for the Private Sector.
- Empowering the unbanked population in Iraq.
- Duha Abdulkareem, DG Payments, Central Bank of Iraq
- Simon Reed, Managing Partner, IrisGuard UK Ltd
- Samer Akrouk, Business Development Officer, ProgressSoft
- Speaker TBC from AsiaHawala
Speakers:
Moderator: Ahmed Tabaqchali, CIO Iraq Fund, Asia Frontier Capital
12:30 – 12:45 Spotlight Presentation: The Role of Capital Markets To Drive Economic Growth
- Grant Felgenhauer, Managing Partner, Euphrates Advisors
12:45 – 13:00 Spotlight Presentation: Educating for Employment: Preparing Iraq’s Youth for the Private Sector
- Christine van den Toorn, Founder & President, Iraq Fund for Higher Education
13:00 – 17:00 Pre-Scheduled 1-2-1 Meetings
Day 3, Wednesday 24th June
09:00 – 10:00 Digital Transformation in a Mobile Market [Panel Discussion]
- An overview of Iraq’s digital market.
- Challenges and opportunities within the digital market.
- The digitalisation of Iraq in banking, e-payments, e-commerce and the self service digital economy.
- • Investment case studies within the Iraqi market.
- Ahmed Tabaqchali, CIO Iraq Fund, Asia Frontier Capital
- Caroline McGarr, Managing Director, ThinkBank
- Zaab Sethna, Managing Director, Northern Gulf Partners
- Tawfiq Al-Khalili, Kuwait Country Manager, ProgressSoft
Speakers:
Moderator: Majed Sifri, CEO Optimiser, Int@j Board Member
10:00 – 10:30 General Event Networking
10:30 – 11:30 Venture Capital & Accelerator Programmes in Iraq [Panel Discussion]
- E-Commerce & Retail: Brand establishment for growth companies.
- Power of AI: Enhancing customer experience, revenue streams and scalable finance within financial institutions.
- Tech entrepreneurship: Startup ecosystems and their importance to overcoming a challenging working environment.
- Capturing the Iraqi market: Entry from successful regional startups.
- Alexandre Laure, Senior Private Sector Specialist, World Bank
- Karam Saridar, CEO, El Ryan
- Yadgar Merani, CEO and Co-founder, Lezzoo
- Pat Cline, Director, AUIS Entrepreneurship Initiative
Speakers:
Moderator: Alice Bosley, Executive Director, 51 Labs
11:30 – 17:00 Pre-Scheduled 1-2-1 Meetings
