Doha, Qatar: Next week, Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA) will host the 18th annual meeting of the Union of Arab Securities Authorities (UASA) Board, the Third Arab Capital Markets Conference, and the 28th Meeting of the GCC Heads of Capital Market Authorities (or their equivalent) Committee, all of which will be held at the Sheraton Doha Grand Hotel.
The first meeting is the 18th annual meeting of the Union of Arab Securities Authorities (UASA) Board, which will be held next Wednesday, April 24, 2024, chaired by QFMA and organized in cooperation with the UASA, with the participation of the 16 UASA Arab member countries.
During this meeting, the UASA board will discuss a number of issues and topics on the agenda, including reviewing the 2023 UASA annual report to be approved, in addition to several memos of the General Secretariat of the Union, regarding the completed initiatives under the UASA’s 2023 working plan,, the guidance on the best practices in the AML/CFT, the guidelines for crowdfunding in the Arab capital markets, the general rules for sustainability in the Arab capital markets, and the principles Guidance to enhance cybersecurity, and the needs of UASA members in the field of fintech and cybersecurity.
The conference includes five panels, the first entitled “Regulatory Developments”, which discusses the most important developments taking place in the Arab capital markets, the regulatory challenges of the Arab capital markets: investor protection and enhancing transparency, the impact of geopolitical changes on capital markets, the role of regulatory bodies in containing regional and international risks and fluctuations on capital markets, and how do regulatory bodies contribute to supporting and enhancing cooperation and the development of Arab financial markets?, in addition to the future of Arab capital markets considering increasing competition and technological development.
The second panel will be held under the title “Sustainability and Governance: Regulatory Perspective”. This panel includes several topics dealing with effective oversight of the application of environment, social responsibility and governance (ESG) principles, the role of enforcement in building an effective governance culture, ratification the principles of the International Sustainability Board (ISSB): the role of regulators in enforcing them, improving the integration, compatibility and comparability of sustainability reporting, and how does establishment of carbon markets contributes to promoting sustainability principles?, in addition to sustainable bonds in the Arab capital markets.
The third panel will be titled “Technology: Innovation and Digital Transformation in Financial Markets”, and will discuss Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI and ML): How it contributes to the development of capital markets., the role of blockchain and modern regulatory solutions (RegTech) in enhancing market supervision, electronic disclosure: enhancing the international position of Arab capital markets, and risks and regulatory considerations for virtual assets., and how does financial technology contribute to facilitating the flow of internal funds Passporting.
The fourth panel, entitled “Outlook for Arab Stock Exchanges”, will discuss several topics related to derivatives markets, central counterparty (CCPs) and exchange - traded funds (ETFs), as well as promoting foreign investment and facilitating the KYC entry and exit policies, and Alternative Financing: Crowdfunding, Peer 2 Peer Lending: What’s the effect on stock exchanges?, enhancing trading transparency and access to high-quality data, and how does Islamic finance contribute to supporting the development of financial markets?
The fifth panel, titled “ Combatting Financial Crimes: The Role Of Regulators”, will address recent developments and standards in combating money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT), combating cybercrime: stress testing, Anti-bribery and corruption: risk-based approach, compliance and whistle blowing, and combating money laundering crimes: regulatory role and compliance.
