The Financial Times has confirmed Aliya Allen, CEO and Executive Director, Bahamas Financial Services Board, as a panellist for its Global Summit on International Financial Centres, November 27-28, 2012 in London.

The comprehensive two day summit is being sponsored under the broad theme, “Delivering Competitiveness and Growth in the Changing Global Economy.” It will feature senior speakers from the world’s leading and emerging financial centres who will compare and contrast how IFCs are operating in different parts of the world. Sessions will analyse and explore the future for International Financial Centres in the new global economy.

Ms. Allen will be part of a November 28 Panel Discussion – “Offshore financial centres – are they good for the global economy?” The panel will compare the regulatory and transparency standards of large and small financial centres; discuss the accuracy of perceptions of small IFCs; and examine the contributions of small IFCs to the major economies and rising powers which surround them. Mr. Richard Hay, Partner at Stikeman Elliott, will moderate the panel which also will include Simon Knott, Head of Unit II, Global Forum Secretariat, OECD Centre for Tax Policy & Administration, and Marcus Thompson, General Counsel & CCO, Walkers.

Other sessions will speak to financial centres in a globalised world; the rise and fall of IFCs: key factors in global competitiveness; responses of established IFCs to the crisis; and positioning IFCs to benefit from the upturn. In addition, the Summit will have a strong focus on regulation, including a session on the implication of increased regulation on the competitiveness of financial centres. Rounding out the impressive agenda will be sessions on IFCs in Emerging Markets and on Tax Cooperation.

“This is a great platform to reinforce our solid and historic foundations as an international financial centre and how The Bahamas continues to take progressive steps in keeping with the needs of international business, finance and investment professionals,” said Ms. Allen. “The Summit provides a high profile opportunity to present our clear and distinct advantages as an international financial centre to an audience which has significant decision-making influence.” Several hundred senior executives and other finance, business and investment professionals will be in attendance at the conference.

BFSB’s participation in the FT’s Summit reflects its ongoing campaign to press The Bahamas’ competitive advantages as an international financial centre. Recently Ms. Allen took the Bahamas Advantage message to The 2nd CARIFORUM Conference on the International Financial Services Sector in the Caribbean Region – focusing on the future and competitiveness of Caribbean IFCs – and also delivered a similar message to delegates at the 2012 Nassau Conference.