Istanbul Finance Summit to host global business leaders

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The audience follow a session at last year’s Istanbul Finance Summit. Many international business representatives will attend this year’s summit, which starts today. Company photo

Istanbul is kicking off the third Istanbul Finance Summit (IFS), which will take place today and tomorrow at the Ceylan InterContinental Hotel. The summit is expected to focus on Istanbul’s aspirations to become a global financial center.

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan is expected to launch the IFS, which will host important participants including finance experts from both Turkey and abroad, managers of stock exchanges, research houses and brokerages and the upper management of banks. HSBC England Chief Exectutive Officer (CEO) Brian Robertson, Islamic Development Bank President Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al Madani, the European Parliament’s Progressive Socialists and Democratic Group Vice President Johannes Swobada, IFC Vice President Dimitris Tsidsigaros, Nasday OMX Group Vice President Sandy Meyer Frucher, Reason Foundation Economic Research Director M. Antony Randuzzo, Lebanese Central Bank Vice President Muhammed Baasiri, and Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange President Rasheed al-Baloushi, are among some of the international attendees.

Turkish participants in addition to Deputy PM Babacan will include Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan, Development Minister Cevded Yılmaz, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş, Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) President Mehmet Büyükekşi, Central Bank Governor Erdem Başçı, Capital Markets Board (SPK) President
Vedat Akgiray, Halk Bank CEO Süleyman Aslan, and Istanbul Stock Exchange President İbrahim Turhan.