El evento se centró en las oportunidades bancarias, financieras y de inversión entre España y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Se trataron temas como las relaciones económicas y financieras entre los dos países, aspectos legales y reglamentarios de la creación de negocios en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos y España, las finanzas islámicas y el desarrollo de asociaciones público-privadas en el área de proyectos de infraestructura.
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MADRID, (EUROPA PRESS) -
Madrid Centro Financiero (MCF) y Dubai International Finantial Centre (DIFC) han celebrado la conferencia 'Los Emiratos Árabes Unidos y España: cooperación económica y financiera' en la capital del país asiático con el objetivo de fortalecer las relaciones financieras entre ambos Estados.
Según han informado las dos organizaciones en una nota de prensa, este seminario nace tras el "éxito" del primer encuentro financiero entre los dos países que se celebró en Madrid el pasado año y que concluyó con la firma de un 'memorando de entendimiento' entre las dos asociaciones.
Durante la conferencia, el director adjunto del MCF, Pablo Rivera, señaló que Dubai y Madrid representan "el puente" entre Europa, Oriente Medio, Norte de África, Asia del Sur y América Latina y que la colaboración entre ambas ciudades "está allanando el camino para una mejor y más amplia interacción económica entre las regiones de mayor crecimiento".
Por su parte, el director ejecutivo del DIFC, Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, destacó que la relación bilateral "floreciente" entre los Emiratos Árabes y España "demuestra que existe un amplio margen para una cooperación mutuamente enriquecededora".
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DIFC & MCF discuss initiatives to strengthen
Economic and Financial Cooperation between the UAE
and Spain
2nd seminar hosted in association with the Madrid Centro Financiero
Rivera, MCF: "The impressive structure and competencies available in
DIFC are not common in Europe"
Dubai – 15 December 2011: The Dubai International Financial Centre ("DIFC”), the financial and
business hub connecting the region’s emerging markets with the developed markets of Europe, Asia
and the Americas, today hosted “UAE and Spain: Economic and Financial Cooperation”, an
investment conference held in association with the Madrid Centro Financiero (“MCF”). The event
comes in line with DIFC’s commitment to develop strong partnerships with other financial centres
around the globe.
Speakers at the event included prominent industry figures from both countries, with HE Abdullah Al
Saleh, Undersecretary, Ministry of Foreign Trade, UAE and HE Gonzalo de Benito Secades, Spanish
Ambassador to the UAE giving key note speeches.
The DIFC - MCF Seminar 2011 builds on the success of the first seminar which was held in Madrid
concurrently with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) between the DIFC
Authority and MCF in September 2010. The MoU supports bilateral relations and encourages
investment between Spain and the UAE as well as the wider region.
The UAE is considered as the first destination of Spanish exports to the Middle East region, and is
ranked as the third in the broader MENA region. Spain’s annual exports to the UAE are currently
estimated at about 1 billion euros. The trade balance between both countries has been traditionally
favourable to Spain, but practical steps are being adopted to address this trade imbalance.
Opening the conference, Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of DIFC Authority, said: “The flourishing
bilateral relationship between the UAE and Spain proves that there is ample room for mutually
enriching cooperation. The continuing efforts by the Spanish and Emirati authorities to maintain open
and effective dialogue provide a solid foundation for the continuing development of our social,
cultural, and commercial links.”
Pablo Rivera, Deputy Director, Madrid Centro Financiero, said: “Dubai and Madrid represent bridges
between Europe and their respective regions of influence, MEASA (Middle East North Africa and
South Asia) and Latin America. Our close cooperation is paving the way for better and wider
economic interaction between these important growing regions.”
The event, which was held at the DIFC Conference Centre on 15 December 2011, focused on
banking, financial and investment opportunities between Spain and the UAE. It covered topics such
as economic and financial relations between the two countries, legal & regulatory aspects of setting
up business in UAE and Spain, Islamic finance and developing public private partnerships in the area
of infrastructure projects.
In his key note speech, HE Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary, Ministry of Foreign Trade, UAE said:
“In the first UAE-Spain Joint committee meeting, we agreed on promoting the flow of investments,
enhancing our bilateral trade ties and supporting the private sector’s role in the economic growth of
our respective nations. I am glad to note that the bilateral trade between Spain and the UAE has
been growing at an annual rate of 15 per cent, reaching an impressive 2.5 billion AED in the first six
months of 2011,with the UAE exporting goods worth 88 million AED, re-exporting 226 million AED
and Importing 2.1 billion AED. Through the creation of new partnerships and mutual efforts, we hope
to boost these figures even further in the coming years.”
HE Gonzalo de Benito Secades, Spanish Ambassador to the UAE, said: “Spain and UAE have
developed strong relations in the commercial, financial and economic fields during the last few years.
We have seen our bilateral trade progressing very rapidly and reaching a peak of USD 1.6 billion in
2008. Since then, our figures have somehow declined as a consequence of the global economic
situation. However, we expect to register significant progress going forward as already evident from
2011 year-on-year figures. Foreign investments have also progressed well in recent years, with the
UAE being the first foreign country investing in Spain in 2009.”
Others participants at the event included José María García-Agulló, Managing Director, PanBuck
Europe; Samer Qudah, Partner & Head of Corporate Structuring, Al Tamimi & Company; Kevin
Birkett, Head of Financial Services & Business Relations, DIFC Authority; Jesús Pedrero Martínez,
Head of Capital Markets and Investor Relationship, CECA (The Finance Entity of Spanish Saving
Banks); Fernando Minguez, Partner-Banking Law, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira; Bryan Stirewalt,
Managing Director-Supervision, Dubai Financial Services Authority; Jaime Montalvo, Economic and
Commercial Counselor in UAE; Dr Nasser Saidi, Chief Economist, DIFC; Olivier Schwartz, SVP &
General Counsel, DP World; Pedro Mugarra, Managing Director, Sener Abu Dhabi; Usama
DeLorenzo, Associate Partner, Praesidium; Josep Marsal, Partner-Finance & Tax, Cuatrecasas,
Gonçalves Pereira; Husam Hourani, Managing Partner & Head of Banking, Al Tamimi & Company;
and Shaykh Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo, independent Shari’ah advisor in Dubai.......