Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain (KFH-Bahrain) today underscored its commitment to supporting greater investments in technology throughout the Arab world and in participating in efforts to establish Bahrain as the region’s leading technology hub.
The Bank highlighted these objectives at a press conference held by the Arab Science & Technology Foundation to announce the forthcoming 3rd Forum on Investing in Technology: The Seeds of Growth to be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Commander and Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force, at the Gulf Hotel in Bahrain on 27-28th September 2005.
KFH-Bahrain is acting as a co-organiser and main sponsor of the event, which is aimed at building momentum among the investment community to focus greater attention on supporting innovative Arab technology start-ups. To do so, the Forum seeks to bring together technology leaders, corporations, investors, venture capital funds and financial institutions in order to identify opportunities and stimulate further investments in new Arab-generated technologies and companies with worldwide market potential and global competitive advantage.
KFH-Bahrain’s sponsorship of this conference reflects the Bank’s own ongoing efforts to support projects and companies that help to drive economic development in the region and specifically of Arab technology start-ups and developing businesses. Since its inception in October 2002, KFH-Bahrain has already made significant investments in a number of promising and entrepreneurial technology companies in the region including MENA Broadband Services among others.
Furthermore, the Bank’s support for this Forum further underscores its dedication to working with organizations such as the Arab Science & Technology Foundation and the leaders of the Kingdom of Bahrain to position Bahrain as a leading regional technology centre, where capital and innovation can be joined in order to recognize and support the achievement and potential of young Arab scientists whilst simultaneously driving economic growth and creating greater economic and employment opportunities.
Commenting on the conference, Mr. Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat, General Manager of KFH-Bahrain, said “ KFH-Bahrain would like to express its thanks to HH Sheikh Salman and to the Arab Science & Technology Foundation for championing such an important cause. The impact of investments in technology is significant to developing economies such as those in the region and the importance of enhancing the flow of funds to this sector can’t be stressed enough. At KFH-Bahrain, we are deeply committed to supporting growth in the local and regional economies and we believe that investments in new and fast-growing technology companies are key in our efforts to foster economic advancement. At our Bank, we have already made and will continue to make significant contributions in this area and encourage other financial institutions and investors to do the same. ”
Mr. Alkhayyat continued, “The sponsorship of this Forum by KFH-Bahrain serves as just one small step in these efforts but also as an affirmation of our belief that Bahrain is not only an ideal location for us to gather for this event but, importantly, the ideal location for the development of the region’s leading technology hub. The Kingdom is already the region’s pre-eminent financial services centre – offering diverse sources of capital and funding – necessary for supporting growth but further also possesses rich human resources, a strong history of education and the vision of a strong leadership and community that is dedicated to advancement and progress.”
KFH-Bahrain and the organisers of The 3rd Forum on Investing in Technology: The Seeds of Growth encourage technology leaders in the Arab world, leading corporations in technology innovation, investors and businessman, financial institutions and fund managers and incubators and technology parks to attend the upcoming conference on 27-28 September in order to view a sampling of Arab technology start-ups, discuss studies of successful technology developments and highlight potential problems in funding, management and legal structures affecting investments in technology.
About Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain
Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain is a leading provider of Islamic commercial and investment banking services. Established in 2002 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House (Kuwait) -- an industry leader for more than 25 years -- KFH-Bahrain specialises in developing and bringing to market the highest quality Islamically compliant banking and investment products, all of which are delivered by a staff of experienced and dedicated professionals with a deep understanding of the market and the customers we serve.
