Egypt Trade & Export Finance Forum

Event Review

Egypt Trade & Export Finance Forum took place in Cairo on the November 10, bringing together policy makers and senior industrialists from Egypt and North Africa. The conference was well attended with over 100 industry representatives.

The conference highlighted new business and trade opportunities emerging from the latest phase of market deregulation, for international, regional and local investors.

Description

This one-day forum will showcase and discuss opportunities for international, regional and local investors, keen to uncover the next frontier in trade and investments in Egypt.

The IFC has just ranked Egypt within the top 10 best reforming regulated economies in the world, and there is no shortage of liquidity at the Cairo Stock Exchange, ensuring that appetite for local investment remains high. However, recent market shocks and global uncertainty are diverting everyone’s attention back to the dramas on Wall St.

We have been witnessing profound changes in the Middle East and North Africa of late: trade, as well as major projects, have driven stability and growth in the region and Egypt remains a powerhouse for this shift. Exporta's event in Cairo will deliver in-depth coverage of the regulatory and economic reforms, along with the mechanics of conducting trade business in the country. We will look at future trends and prospects over the next decade, covering subjects such as trade services, risk mitigation and investment opportunities across a variety of sectors: energy, infrastructure, telecoms, commodities and more.

Join us for a day of specialist presentations, representative panel discussions and informed case studies to discover how local policy-makers and regional market players are developing solutions to support trade growth.

Register today to widen your network of contacts and achieve business success!

Event Photos

Brochure

Programme

Egypt Trade & Export Finance Forum

08.30 Registration and refreshments

09.00 Chairman’s welcome address
Ali Moussa, Chairman of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce

09.10 Keynote speech: Encouraging Egypt's export potential: gearing up for a new world order
Mr Hisham Ahmed Hassan, Chairman, Export Development Bank of Egypt (EDBE)
• Dealing with the current economic climate
• Leveraging our geographical and capital advantages
• Supporting SMEs with new training and funding instruments
• Outlook for the midterm

09.30 Multilateral perspective: Egypt’s business environment – opportunities for growth
J Joseph Grandmaison, Board of Directors, US Ex-Im Bank
Souleymane Traore, Senior Investment Officer, IFC

10.15 Panel discussion: local bank perspective on trade finance in Egypt
Moderator: Mohammed Gamal Moharram, Chairman and CEO, Piraeus Bank
Ashraf Abou Alam, FVP, Head FI & Trade Finance, ABC Bank Egypt
Sherine Hamed, Senior General Manager and High Polices Committee Member, CIB
Tarek Amin Adly, General manager, International Division of Export Development Bank (EDBE)
Amr Abou Zeid, Head of Trade Centre, BNP Paribas Egypt
• Identifying the latest challenges for local trade banks in the current climate, what are the best home-grown solutions?
• What products do the local banks offer?
• Outlook for 2009 and beyond
• Dealing with comparatively low-tech client base, initiatives to update IT infrastructure within Egypt

11.15 Networking break

11.45 Panel discussion: how is Egypt developing with other parts of the region moving from letters of credit (LC) to open account (OA)?
Moderated by: Michael Kenny, Partner, Watson Farley & Williams
Marius Savin, Co-General Manager, Egypt Factors
David Hennah, Senior Product Manager, Swift
Veena Mankar, Director Egypt factors and Chairman Menafactors
• Is LC business still strong in Egypt or is there a clear shift to OA? How do banks react to this trend?
• Open account explained: what are the business drivers and business benefi ts of OA?
• Supply chain solutions: bridging the gap from LC to open account

12.30 Forfaiting: a complementary and alternative product 
Margrith Lütschg-Emmenegger, President, Fimbank
• How can forfaiting help manage risk in Egyptian trade finance?
• Local case study showcasing the benefits of forfaiting
• Comparison with other products

13.00 Networking lunch

14.30 Supply chain financing and trade services solutions: how to best manage your cash conversion cycle
David Hennah, Senior Product Manager, Swift
• Swift’s supply chain portfolio
• Adapting to open account: what do banks need to consider?
• Invigorating the present: C2B messaging
• Creating the future: the Trade Services Utility (TSU)
• Anticipating the changes: e-invoicing
• Legal and regulatory issues

15.00 Factoring case study: practical benefits
Marius Savin & Ahmed Shaheen, Joint General Managers, Egypt Factors

15.30 Networking break

16.00 Credit insurance and risk management: moving goal posts in a volatile climate
Moderator: Hamed Hassouna, Chief Regional Representative GCC, Union De Banques Arabes Et Francaises UBAF
Thomas Holmes, Associate Director, Special Risks, Miller Insurance
Khemais el Gazzah, Underwriting Director, ICIEC
Karim Nasrallah, General Manager, The Lebanese Credit Insurer (LCI)
• What is the role of multilateral insurers in the region, what projects do they get involved in, and is it a big part of their global exposure?
• Similarly, what about private insurers in the region?
• What is the appetite for risk in the region, is it project/ commodity specific?
• Are those insurance policies underwritten focused on hydrocarbons predominantly?
• Which territories are particularly problematic?
• Has the banks’ willingness to lend/ provide capacity for this region been affected by the recent credit crunch and has that led to more insurance being purchased?

16.50 Structured export finance case study: cemeting good practise
Sara Hinton, Resident Managing Partner, Trowers & Hamlins

17.20 Chairman’s closing remarks and end of conference

17.30 Drinks reception hosted by Egypt Factors

Venue

Accommodation

To book your room at the five star JW Marriott Hotel, please contact the hotel reservations department directly on +20 2 2411 5588. 

If you have any further questions, please contact the coodinator on +44 (0) 20 8673 9666 or mdaly@exportagroup.com.
 

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities including exhibition stands are available for this event.

To become a sponsor, please contact Tom Whitehead, Head of Sponsorship Sales at twhitehead@exportagroup.com.

Exporta's events have a global reputation, renowned for superb networking opportunities and educational presentations by high-profile speakers.

Time after time our events attract the leading companies in our market as sponsors.

See below for a full list of our Event Sponsors, Institutional Partners and Media Partners and click on the logo to visit their web site. 

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