Sponsorship / Exhibiting

 The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is a dynamic public agency with an overall responsibility for formulating and overseeing the economic development strategy of Bahrain, and for creating the right climate to attract direct investment into the Kingdom.
 
The role of the Bahrain EDB is to provide leadership by uniting all of the Kingdom's shareholders through a unified vision, and to develop key strategies for growth. The Bahrain EDB also acts as a facilitator, helping all of Bahrain's stakeholders to understand and adopt the changes necessary for progress. In addition, the Bahrain EDB provides sound project management to ensure that all agreed reform initiatives are implemented in an effective and timely manner.
 
The Bahrain EDB is also responsible for attracting inward investment into Bahrain, and is focusing on six target economic sectors in which the Kingdom offers significant strengths. These are financial services, downstream industries, tourism, business services, logistics, and education and training.
 
More information on the Bahrain EDB is available at: www.bahrainedb.com

Citi is one of the most complete financial partners for corporations, financial institutions, intermediaries, investors and governments around the world. As a global leader in banking, capital markets, and transaction services, with a presence in over 100 countries dating back more than 100 years, Citi enables clients to achieve their strategic financial objectives.

Global Transaction Services, a business line of Citi, is a global leader in delivering integrated treasury and trade solutions, and securities and fund services. With almost USD1.4 trillion of assets under administration and nearly USD12 trillion of assets under custody. Our modular approach, robust operational support and unmatched global presence – spanning 90 markets – provide clients with the uncommon combination of flexibility and scale to drive down costs and maximise efficiency for their long-term benefit.

By partnering with Citi, investors are uniquely positioned to draw on our 50 year relationship with the Middle East, state-of-the-art processing capabilities and responsive client service across the widest array of solutions in the industry. Whether you manage traditional or alternative asset classes or you are a high-net-worth investor or sovereign wealth fund, our market leading solutions - traditional and alternative fund services, managed account services, custody and securities finance, cash management and transition management - support your needs.

For more information, please visit our website www.transactionservices.citi.com

The Bermuda International Business Association is a membership organization of leading firms serving and working in the international business community, in one of the world’s preeminent financial centers. It provides access to world leading fund administrators, legal and accounting firms, and investment banking, insurance and trust service providers.

ING Investment Management ranks among the top 20 asset managers globally and our ambition is to be recognised as a top-tier asset manager.

Our global reach and local presence enables us to offer clients access to any market or sector in the world, bringing strong alpha creating strategies within operating as a boutique investment manger with the backing of a global player. Our clients gain access to ING IM products and services via our global network of affiliates and third-party distributors.

ING is the first global financial institution to have an Investment Management team based in the Middle East, manufacturing and managing MENA products. With a local presence, the team benefits from a substantial information advantage, through direct access to senior management and a better understanding of regional business models.

The team has extensive experience in the MENA region, both from an analysis standpoint and portfolio investing. The strength of ING IM in emerging markets, allows the ING IM Middle East team to enhance their global perspective.

For more information please visit www.ingim-me.com

Invesco is part of Invesco Ltd, a leading independent global investment management company which currently manages assets of US$348.2 billion (Source: Invesco, as at 31.03.09). Dedicated to helping people worldwide build their financial security, the company strives to deliver outstanding performance and service. Their large global network of fund management teams and offices span the world’s main investment markets. In the Middle East, their team is dedicated to building relationships with retail banks and platform providers.
Invesco’s comprehensive range of investment solutions includes actively and quantitatively managed bond and equity funds, real estate products and they have a broad spectrum of globally domiciled funds which may suit a variety of investment goals.
Their business is purely investment management, with investment professionals focused on achieving strong, consistent investment performance over the medium to long term.

iShares is the world's leading provider of exchange traded funds (ETFs), managed by Barclays Global Investors, with total assets under management of $303 billion globally*. Investors can use iShares ETFs to gain a diversified exposure into the performance of key benchmarks and asset classes including: equities, fixed income as well as emerging markets, property and alternatives. The extensive ETF offering allows investors to implement different investment strategies ranging from core / satellite, tactical allocation, risk management to cash equitisation.

For more information on all iShares ETFs, their performance and funds holdings, please visit www.ishares.com

Barclays Global Investors Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the United Kingdom. 

Please note that as with all stock market investments, the price of the investments may go up or down and the investor may not get back the amount invested.

© 2008 Barclays Global Investors Limited.

*ETF Landscape Report, April 2009

Securities & Investment Co.(SICO)
A leading Bahrain-based financial institution, Securities & Investment Company (SICO) provides clients across the GCC region with a selective range of investment banking services. These comprise asset management, brokerage, market-making, corporate finance, and custody and administration, which are underpinned by an independent, value-added research capability. Commencing operations in 1995, SICO holds a banking license from the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), and was listed on the Bahrain Stock Exchange in 2003 as a closed company. The Firm has a wholly owned subsidiary - SICO Fund Services Company (SFS) - which is a specialized regional custody house. The core shareholders of SICO are major GCC financial institutions. They include Bahrain’s Social Insurance Organisation, and several prominent regional investment, merchant and commercial banks. SICO is the largest broker on the Bahrain Stock Exchange as well as the only active market-maker. The firm provides a pan GCC brokerage platform. SICO’s Asset Management unit manages over $404 million funds through a range of institutional products: SICO Funds, External Funds and Discretionary Portfolio Management Accounts (DPMAs).  SICO’s four equity funds have consistently outperformed indices and generated stellar returns . Khaleej Equity Fund won the Lipper Fund Award for 2008 and was upgraded to an AA rating by Standard & Poor’s in 2008 . SICO Gulf Equity Fund has an AA rating both SICO Selected Securities Fund and SICO Arab Financial Fund  received an A rating. SICO is also the leading provider of corporate finance services, having successfully concluded a number of high profile IPOs, private placements, debt and equity issues.

 SWIFT is a member-owned cooperative that provides the communications platform, products and services to connect over 8,500 banking organisations, securities institutions and corporate customers in more than 200 countries. SWIFT enables its users to exchange automated, standardised financial information securely and reliably, thereby lowering costs, reducing operational risk and eliminating operational inefficiencies. SWIFT also brings the financial community together to work collaboratively to shape market practice, define standards and debate issues of mutual interest.

SWIFT has a strong partnership with the investment management industry, with more than 550 investment managers now using SWIFT to facilitate end-to-end straight through processing in funds, securities, treasury and payments. SWIFT’s comprehensive fund messaging standards allow investment managers, hedge funds, distributors and administrators to reduce the operational costs and risks, while also enhancing their scalability and service levels.

The SWIFT community encompasses investment managers, fund administrators and transfer agents, providing comprehensive industry coverage throughout the funds transactional lifecycle.

For more information about SWIFT please visit www.swift.com

The world's leading asset servicing provider with more than $19.5 trillion in assets under custody and administration as at 31 March 2009, BNY Mellon Asset Servicing adopts a proactive and consultative partnership approach to providing today’s sophisticated investors with a wealth of solutions and expertise which, combined with high quality service, enhances the management, administration and oversight of the investment process and assists them in making better decisions.

Our clients benefit from innovative products and technology, worldwide servicing and a wealth of on and offshore services. For both conventional and Islamic finance, we provide a full spectrum of specialised asset servicing capabilities, including global custody, fund administration and accounting, transfer agency, investment accounting and investment management outsourcing. Other value-added products and services include performance and risk analytics, derivatives servicing and securities lending.  

Our clients range from fund companies, investment managers, pension funds and not-for-profit organisations through to banks, supra-nationals, government investment offices and insurance companies.

Fidessa LatentZero is a leading provider of solutions to the global asset management industry. Our products are used by over 200 customers to help asset managers and hedge funds generate alpha, improve trading desk returns, reduce the cost of compliance management and automate the processing of OTC derivatives.

Capstone is an integrated front office suite of products covering portfolio management, order and execution management and compliance management. With support for equities, fixed income, listed and OTC derivatives, money markets and FX, it’s the first truly multi-asset solution for the buy-side.

A standalone, hosted EMS Workstation can also be deployed. This is delivered as a broker neutral ASP solution, and provides market data, connectivity and trading for global equities and listed derivatives, and can receive orders from and send executions to any third party OMS via FIX.

Fidessa LatentZero’s front office solutions are supported by connectivity to the DMA, Algorithmic, Program and Care order execution destinations of 360 brokers across 115 markets worldwide, via the proven Fidessa Express network, as well as numerous ECNs, crossing networks and ATSs, providing you with all the global execution destinations you require in your continual search for liquidity.

Founded in January 1999, LatentZero was acquired by the Fidessa group in April 2007.  Headquartered in London and with offices in New York, Boston, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Toronto, San Francisco and the Kingdom of Bahrain, Fidessa serves 22,000 users across 630 clients. Fidessa was founded in 1981, has revenues of around US$281m, employs over 1,400 people and has been fully listed (LSE:FDSA) since 1997.

LM Investment Management Ltd (LM) is a privately owned, specialist Australian income funds manager and responsible entity which has operated within Australia’s business and property sectors since 1998.  During this time, LM has developed significant property expertise through the management of its prime income funds, which provide cash, income and Shariah compliant options.

LM operates internationally from its offices on the Gold Coast and Sydney Australia, in Dubai, Hong Kong, London and Auckland.  Since inception, LM has carefully developed diversity in its distribution program, and now distributes its products through an international network of licensed financial advisers, intermediaries, wholesale platforms, private banks, superannuation funds, corporate and institutional investment consultants spanning some 35 countries.

LM utilises its extensive property expertise to select assets for the LM funds on the basis of performance and integrity.  Over the past eleven years, LM has secured AUD$4 billion of investment within Australia’s commercial, industrial, retail, residential, aged care and construction property markets.

LM’s Shariah compliant fund, the LM Australian Alif Fund, provides access to Shariah compliant investment opportunities throughout Australia’s diverse property and business markets.  Available for investment terms of 36 months or longer in a range of international currencies, the fund is endorsed as Shariah compliant by the Shariah Supervisory Board, comprising four eminent globally renowned Shariah scholars.

DST Global Solutions provides a unique combination of local knowledge and global experience in funds management.

DST Global Solutions is a leading provider of software and services to the investment management industry and has over 700 clients based in 56 countries, serviced from some 20 offices around the world. 

Located in Dubai, DST Global Solutions offers a resource pool with deep knowledge of developing markets, and provides complete solutions and best-of-breed products for investment accounting, performance, and risk management.  DST Global Solutions is committed to the Middle East and has been supporting companies across the region for over fifteen years, working with clients through periods of rapid change.  Our successful long-term client relationships, combined with the delivery of innovative and cost effective solutions makes DST Global Solutions the ideal partner to help you meet the challenges of today and the future.

For further information please contact nash.subedar@dstglobalsolutions.com or visit www.dstglobalsolutions.com

Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare, science, and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization.
As the largest financial markets vendor in the world, we employ more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. A key stakeholder in Islamic finance, Thomson Reuters provides unbiased and tailored coverage of the Islamic markets, across different asset classes and geographies, hence allowing clients to work competitively whilst conducting investments consistent with Islamic law. Thomson Reuters is the trusted and reliable choice for all Islamic Market participants.

Emirates Investment Services Ltd (“EIS Asset Management”) is the asset management arm of the EmiratesNBD Group, the largest financial institution in the GCC. It provides a full range of investment products, offering investors exposure to the regional markets as well as global markets.
EIS Asset Management, with over AED 7 bn in assets under management, is one of the largest independent asset management businesses in the region. It provides expertise and fund management services in a broad range of asset classes, from traditional cash management, equity and fixed income to real estate and alternative sectors. At EIS Asset Management we believe that the acquisition of undervalued assets will deliver superior investment returns and satisfied customers, and we are therefore committed to conducting diligent research to uncover the best investment opportunities that suit the needs of our clients. In addition, we believe that the highest levels of transparency and regulatory overview should exist and hence have domiciled our mutual fund offerings in jurisdictions such as Jersey and Guernsey. Based in the Dubai International Financial Centre, EIS Asset Management is licensed and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).

Princeton Financial® Systems (PFS), a State Street company, is a leading provider of investment accounting, investment compliance, data management, performance measurement, and reporting solutions to the global investment industry. Our solutions are used worldwide by over 430 leading investment managers, custodians, insurance companies, pension funds, hedge funds, and banks, which manage combined total assets of over $5 trillion in more than 40 countries. More than $3 trillion AUM worldwide are monitored with PFS award-winning investment compliance solution MIG21® powered by its LawCards® suite of rule libraries for global compliance.

PFS, headquartered in Princeton, NJ, has offices located throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, and Switzerland. For more information, visit Princeton Financial Systems’ website at www.pfs.com or www.pfs.aquin.com.

For over 30 years FactSet has been a leading provider of accurate financial information and superior software solutions to the global investment community. By integrating content from more than 800 databases with powerful analytics on a single platform, FactSet supports your investment process from initial research to published results. With Microsoft Office integration, wireless BlackBerry access, and customizable options, FactSet offers the most complete financial workflow solution available. More than 39,000 users rely on FactSet’s comprehensive data, exceptional functionality, and industry-leading support to power their process. FactSet is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut and conducts operations in twenty-two locations worldwide.
For more information, visit the FactSet stand at 2009 Fund Forum Middle East.
www.factset.com

AXA Investment Managers is a multi-expert asset management company within the AXA Group, a global leader in financial protection and wealth management. AXA IM is one of the largest European-based asset managers with US$707 billion in assets under management as of the end of June 2009. AXA IM employs more than 3,000 people around the world and operates out of 22 countries. With about 1000 funds and 600 fund managers and analysts, AXA IM offers expertise across all major asset classes and alpha strategies