Webinar: Report Series Launch - The Future of Finance
The finance industry is adapting to a dynamic global landscape influenced by shifting capital flows, technological advancements, regulatory changes, geoeconomic shifts and a growing focus on sustainability. In collaboration with Asia House, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is convening leading figures within the world of finance for an online panel discussion on 20 February to discuss the major changes and opportunities shaping the Future of Finance. This webinar will coincide with the launch of DIFC’s first report in its flagship Future of Finance series: The Global Finance and Investment Outlook: Charting technological shifts and new global flows.
DIFC is the leading global financial hub in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and home to over 6,000 companies across the financial services and innovation sectors. Moderated by Asia House Chief Executive Michael Lawrence OBE, panellists will discuss the key trends that will impact the global financial services industry in the years ahead and explore where money will be heading in 2025 and beyond.
This webinar will feature a presentation on the key findings of DIFC’s opening Future of Finance report and a high-level discussion among industry experts to explore how the financial services industry will evolve, providing attendees with insights on how to navigate emerging shifts in the global financial landscape.
Speakers for this digital event include:
- Salmaan Jaffery, Chief Business Development Officer, DIFC
- Taimur Baig, Chief Economist and Managing Director of Group Research, DBS Bank
- Salman Ahmed, Global Head of Macro and Strategic Asset Allocation, Fidelity International
- Reece Merrick, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Ripple
Speakers
Salmaan Jaffery, Chief Business Development Officer, DIFC
Salmaan is the Chief Business Development Officer for the Dubai International Financial Centre. He is a member of the management team and is responsible for overseeing the DIFC client portfolio as well as the DIFC’s growth strategy. Salmaan has 25+ years of experience in North America, Asia and MENA with leadership roles at global firms such as Oliver Wyman, Citibank, American Express and PwC. Mr. Jaffery holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BA in International Relations (Phi Beta Kappa) from Colgate University in the United States and serves on several Boards.
Taimur Baig, Chief Economist and Managing Director of Group Research, DBS Bank
Taimur Baig, PhD, heads global economics as well as macro strategy for interest rate, credit, and currency at DBS Group Research. He also advises the bank on risk management and investment strategy.
Prior to joining DBS in 2017, Dr. Baig was a Principal Economist at the Economic Policy Group, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Earlier, he spent nine years at Deutsche Bank’s Singapore office, where his last position was Managing Director and Chief Economist, Asia. During 1999-2007, he was based in Washington, DC, at the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund, where his last position was Senior Economist.
Dr. Baig has published extensively for both specialists and a general audience, on areas including monetary policy, digital currency, financial technology, climate change, demographics, frontier markets, fiscal policy efficacy, and financial market contagion. He is the host of “Kopi Time,” a widely followed podcast series on markets and economies.
Dr. Baig is an Honorary Advisor to the Global CFO Network, Director Fellow at the Asian Financial Cooperation Association, and Council Member of the Economic Society of Singapore. Dr. Baig holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He attended London School of Economics and Wabash College for his B.A. in Economics.
Salman Ahmed, Global Head of Macro and Strategic Asset Allocation, Fidelity International
Salman Ahmed joined Fidelity in August 2020 as Global Head of Macro and Strategic Asset Allocation. Previously, he was co-chair of Global Investment Committee and Chief Investment Strategist at Lombard Odier IM (LOIM).
Before spending nearly 8 years with LOIM, Salman was head of Global Macro at EDF trading between 2009 and 2012. He also spent nearly 5 years with Goldman Sachs International as a global economist within the global macro team. He began his career in finance with Watson Wyatt (now Towers Willis Watson) in 2001.
Salman holds a PhD and MPhil in Economics & Finance from University of Cambridge. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan, in 1999.
Reece Merrick, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Ripple
Reece Merrick is the Managing Director of Middle East and Africa at Ripple where he leads the company’s business operations and strategic initiatives from Ripple’s MEA headquarters in Dubai. Prior to his current role, Reece was Senior Director of Global Strategic Partners at Ripple where he led relationships with key financial institutions and crypto partners adopting blockchain-based payments and crypto liquidity solutions to enable cross-border payments. He has spent over half a decade working on Ripple’s payments products across Dubai and London.
Reece has over 15 years of experience working within the fintech and payments industry, with expertise focused on foreign exchange risk management and building best-in-class payment solutions for large financial institutions and corporations. Prior to Ripple, Reece spent 10+ years working within the fintech and payments space, focusing on FX risk management and building out cross-border payment solutions for large FIs & corporations.