The Union of Arab Banks (UAB) will hold the 20th edition of its Annual Banking Conference on 19 November in Beirut, Lebanon. The conference is entitled "Through Financial Inclusion: 2015-2020 Map" and will be held in coordination with a number of international regulatory institutions. The conference is considered one of the most significant annual conferences organised by the UAB, especially since it is held in extraordinary conditions for Lebanon and the Arab region, UAB Secretary General Wissam Fattouh said. The union aims for the conference to re-affirm the role and the location of Lebanon in the region on the financial and banking levels, Fattouh said. It also seeks to shed light on the significant role played by the Arab financial and banking sector in supporting the Arab states' economies. This year, the conference affirms he UAB's regional and international role as a strategic partner in the world's financial decision making. It also affirms the solidarity of relations between the Arab banking sector and the international decision making centres, particularly in the US and Europe. "The conference will witness the biggest Arab and international financial and banking presence in terms of the number of participants or the quality of Arab and international participation," Fattouh said. The Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait is also expected to be honoured during the conference. There will be strong Chinese participation to discuss Arab-Chinese cooperation and the preparation for the G20 summit that will be held in China in 2016. The conference will host a wide variety of workshops regarding the Islamic financial role in economic development. The workshops will take place in cooperation with the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI).
