MANAMA: Supreme Council for Health president and Al Hekma Retired Society chairman Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa will deliver the keynote address at the Arab Pensions Conference 2021, to be hosted virtually from Bahrain next month.
Organised by Fintech Robos, the event on November 16 and 17 expects to attract 400 delegates, and will feature nearly 30 global and regional speakers, covering all aspects of the pensions industry, from social policy and demographics to social safety net and social protection, and from family financial resilience during crises and enhancing pension coverage to investment returns and fintech possibilities in the space of retirement planning and savings.
This year’s event addresses the grand theme of: What should Mena Pension Systems look like for the next 50 years?
After the opening speech of Dr Shaikh Mohammed, who is also the conference patron, Egypt’s Finance Minister Dr Mohamed Maait, who has been involved for many years with the pension sector in Egypt, will share his perspective and expectations of future developments that are likely to take place in the pension sector across the Arab world.
Also at the event, the World Bank will announce key findings and recommendations from the soon-to-be-released The Future of Jobs & Social Protection in MENA Report 2021 turning the Covid-19 crisis into an opportunity for reform.
Additionally, being presented at the Arab Pensions Conference will be key highlights of the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index for 2021, especially as those that relate to the Arab countries.
Now in its 13th year, the index benchmarks 39 retirement income systems (including both Saudi Arabia and UAE) using more than 50 indicators.
Furthermore, fintech operators will reflect on how digitalisation and pension-tech could penetrate Mena’s retirement planning and pension savings, by supporting reforms and innovation in this space.
This session will be led by Smart Middle East, a pension-tech business, that’s a platinum sponsor of the conference, with Cacoa Invest, Fintech Robos, Pensions Apps and StashAway also joining.
“The event will feature a discussion of MENA demographics and longevity risk associated with pension systems, and this is a vital and significant topic that we’re bringing to the Arab world for the first time,” said Ebrahim K Ebrahim, chairman of the Arab Pensions Conference.
Other speakers in the event include representatives of Social Security Investment Fund of Jordan, Blackrock, World Bank, International Peace Institute, OECD, EDB, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Amundi, Moroccan Foundation for Financial Education, Sabeen Investment, Bahrain Economists Society, Menarah Network for Ageing Research, UK’s National Employment Savings Trust, Skybridge Capital, and the Bardot Group.
avinash@gdn.com.bh
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