MANAMA: A home-grown conference focused on pensions is going beyond the shores of Bahrain after five editions.
The sixth edition of the Arab Pensions Conference 2022 will be held on September 28 and 29 and hosted in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt this year, Fintech Robos, a Bahrain-based savings and pension technology provider has announced.
It is taking place in partnership with the Egyptian government represented by its Finance Ministry, Financial Regulatory Authority, National Organisation of Social Insurance, and the Insurance Federation of Egypt, is growing into a main regional platform where the pension and investment industries meet.
“After two years of lockdowns, we can finally get back to doing what we all love: getting together again. Yes, business conventions are back, and Fintech Robos is organising the first regional pension gathering with actual attendance, offering ample networking opportunities for our 500+ delegates,” said Ebrahim K Ebrahim, chief executive of Fintech Robos and chairman of the conference, adding that “the city of Sharm El Sheikh will give our participants an incredible welcome, and will help make the conference a great experience”.
Under the theme of ‘Arab Pensions Outlook 2050 – Change and Opportunity’, the conference will feature 45 global and regional speakers who will discuss the long-term components of a vital social insurance and pension framework as the world faces social and economic cross-roads.
AON, Smart Pensions, CEM Benchmarking and FNZ Group, the world’s largest pension and wealth provider outside the US market, have been the first to support this event as Platinum sponsors.
Concerns about public finance and shortfalls in funding levels of social insurance systems have been reported in most Arab countries in the last two decades, with a continuing long-term financial pressure from ageing. The size of the working-age population is projected to fall by more than one-quarter by 2060.
“Social insurance or a dignified retirement is something that everyone and every household aspires to, whether they are in the formal or informal sector. In the Mena region, 60 per cent of the populations are not under any social insurance umbrella till today,” said Mr Ebrahim.
Topics
With topics spanning social protection policies and pension reforms, demographic trends and longevity, coverage, pension modelling, actuarial assumptions, investment strategies, funding and sustainability, and risk management, as well as the increasing use of technology – the Arab Pensions Conference will equip, inform and encourage participants to power the change they want to see.
“We are the only platform in the Mena region that’s for and by pension professionals. We are bringing together regional pension funds and global financial organisations to create awareness and a lively pension debate, both at institutional and social levels,” he said.
Over the years, the event has brought together thousands of professionals and organisations that are redefining the pension industry.
The conference has been attracting a power-packed line-up of speakers from global think-tanks, government pension funds, regional financial institutions, actuaries, asset managers, insurers, and HR leaders every year.
The objective is to spread awareness on pension dynamics, structures and issues that affect the resilience, adequacy and sustainability of both private and public pension systems and their infrastructure.
Mr Ebrahim explained what really makes this event important among global pension conferences is the participation of all key actors in the sector, including pension funds, international economic institutions, asset managers, actuary and audit firms and the financial industry. It also links pensions with HR management in terms of employee benefits, employee engagement, and related technologies.
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