Bahrain Financial Exchange (BFX), the first multi-asset, multi-access international exchange in Bahrain and the Middle East to be launched in the first quarter of 2010 successfully held its first annual exchange conference. The conference, the first-of-its-kind to be held in Bahrain, attracted over 150 senior level financial professionals from Bahrain and beyond to hear about the new exchange. Speakers from the Bahrain Economic Development Board, FT Group, SHAPE Financial Corp and the BFX discussed the importance of a liquid and transparent financial market in Bahrain and how the recent financial situation has reshaped the global exchange business and its effect on the financial markets in the region. Speakers also presented the progress made by the BFX since its announcement in January 2009 in areas such as product development, infrastructure set-up, operational arrangements and membership model. Arshad Khan, director, BFX, said “this was not simply a case of us providing information to the market, we wanted the market to tell us what it needs, and this was achieved as we had 30 minutes of excellent questions and answers with the audience. This highlights the interest and appetite the BFX has created in Bahrain and the acknowledgement by the financial market that a liquid and transparent exchange is a prerequisite for any world-class financial center.” The conference also featured a workshop on derivatives and Islamic finance. Simone Carminati, senior vice president, head of Training Academy, BFX, said “there is a serious appetite in Bahrain to learn more about financial markets and how they can be used to invest and manage risk. The BFX Training Academy will offer training on how to do this and the Exchange will allow them to put this learning into practice for their benefit.”
