EFG Hermes Holding kicked off its 16th annual One-on-One Conference on Monday in Dubai under the patronage of Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum — Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Finance of the UAE.
The conference, which is taking place at Atlantis, The Palm Hotel, will play host to a vast number of meetings with key executives and investors until its conclusion on 22 September.
Under the theme of ‘Weathering Inflation – Finding Focus in FEM’, the conference continues to unlock unparalleled prospects for global institutional investors and active fund managers to gain insights on key trends influencing frontier emerging markets (FEMs) and to explore investment opportunities through one-on-one meetings with c-suite executives representing prominent equities across four continents.
The conference is witnessing the participation of 205 companies from 33 countries in direct meetings with over 655 institutional investors and fund managers representing 270 international institutions.
“We’re excited to finally bring back the physical iteration of the One-on-One since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic… This year’s conference comes at a riveting time for FEMs, as the global economy stands in the face of ongoing challenges. While the world has certainly managed to weather the storm of the pandemic’s aftermath, supply chain disruptions, paired with rising inflationary pressures that reached an all-time high, continue to dampen economic recovery,” said Karim Awad — EFG Hermes Holding’s Group CEO.
“In light of this economic backdrop, our role has become more vital to act as a conduit for investments. We feel extremely committed to ensuring investors find localised growth stories across FEM.”
This year, presenting companies come from a broad range of industries including consumer-driven sectors, energy, banking, finance, healthcare, industrials, information communications technology, telecommunications, utilities, real estate, and many more.
“Our performance over the last few years has been remarkable, as we continue to witness FEM-wide expansions. EFG Hermes has managed to sustain its leading position in the markets in which it operates, and this enables us to help steer the region forward, as we once again host what has grown to be the world’s largest annual forum dedicated to investing in FEMs,” added Mohamed Ebeid — Co-CEO of the Investment Bank at EFG Hermes Holding.
“We continue to unlock unmatched prospects for institutional investors from all over the world, connecting them with business pioneers from some of the most attractive and promising markets in the region. We could not be prouder of this year’s tremendous turnout, and we look forward to continuing the tradition of our flagship conference in the years to come.”
Over the last two years — and in 2021 specifically — the GCC witnessed a substantial uptick in activity, spurring investor confidence as financial stability risks remained at bay on the back of the continuous monetary and fiscal policy support, and the solid recovery in global economic activity following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enterprise content management (ECM) activity in emerging markets began booming significantly, as the region witnessed substantial increase in IPOs, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Both countries have certainly proven to be promising investment landscapes, as they continue to make headlines with super offerings that contribute to bolstering economic growth and further diversifying regional investment prospects.
Since its inception, the EFG Hermes One-on-One Investor Conference has played an undeniable role in presenting global investors with the most attractive opportunities in MENA.
