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Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), the region's leading financial market, concluded the ‘ConFEAS 2018’ conference. The conference, with the theme of "Augmented Reality of Trading and Settlement Ecosystems”, was organized by ADX in cooperation with The Federation of Asian and European Stock Exchange on 29th and 30th October 2018.
Konstantin Saroyan, Secretary General of FEAS kick-started the proceedings on the second day of the first-ever ConFEAS 2018.
Rashed Al Blooshi, Chief Executive of ADX, highlighted the significant achievements of Abu Dhabi government, which enabled the emirate to become the ideal destination for business and innovation. Abu Dhabi has bolstered its position in the Global Financial Centres index (GFCI) regionally and globally, ranking 26th in the world, outperforming advanced financial centres such as Geneva and Seoul. Abu Dhabi also ranked second on the Ipsos Top Cities 2017 list. Al Blooshi said: “These results are a testament to the emirate’s progress on several levels, particularly, its attractive business environment, the evolution of its infrastructure and the quality of its financial sector.”
On ADX, Al Blooshi said: “Implementing FinTech services in ADX has been instrumental in strengthening its position in the region as a preferred destination for listing and trading. We continue to develop our digital services and employ the most innovative technologies to improve the quality and efficiency of services provided to investors, customers and stakeholders alike.”
Al Blooshi stressed the need to proactively employ modern technologies to manage financial markets, develop the financial infrastructure, improve governance systems and disclosure and transparency standards to increase investor confidence and enhance the performance of capital markets to achieve sustainable stock markets.
The first panel discussion on cross-border trading links was moderated by Konstantin Saroyan, Secretary General of FEAS and included panellists Ivan Takev, CEO of Bulgaria Stock Exchange; Ivan Shteriev, CEO of Macedonian Stock Exchange; Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, Head of Group Securities Services of Raiffeisen Bank International and André Küüsvek, Director, Local Currency and Capital Markets Development of EBRD.
The second panel discussion on blockchain and smart contracts in trading and post-trade was moderated by Anna Kulik, Secretary General of ECSDA with panellists Henri Bergström Business Development Advisor of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange; Alexander Chekanov, Chief Architect of National Settlement Depository; Emma Shand, Head of Advisory Services of NASDAQ and Mohamed Abdel Salam, Chairman of MCDR.
The third panel discussion on educational, financial and media literacy programs on capital markets was moderated by Paul Constantinou, President of Association of Futures Markets (AFM) with panellists Lucian Angel, President of Bucharest Stock Exchange; Alina Aldambergen Chairperson of the Management Board KASE; Dave Hannam Co-Founder of SharesInside and Nikolaos Porfiris, Chief Business Development Officer of the Athens Stock Exchange.
The fourth panel discussion on SME trading, crowd funding platforms was moderated by Daniela Peterhoff Partner, Global Head of Market Infrastructure of Oliver Wymann with panellists John Hermann, Legal Counsel of ADGM; Andreas Gustaffson, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of NASDAQ Europe and Izabela Olszewska, Member of the Management Board of Warsaw Stock Exchange.
The panel discussions and meetings held at ConFEAS 2018 concluded with a set of recommendations by Ahmed Saleh Al Marhoon, Director General of Muscat Securities Market and Chairman of the Federation of Asian and European Stock Exchange. The recommendations include the need for markets to attract more investors, upgrade the implementation and application of DLT and blockchain; moves that represent an important opportunity to enhance the efficiency of securities markets, develop digital services and facilitate access of investors to services, as well as management of their trades.
