STANDPOINT by Atique Naqvi

Alain Pons, President and CEO of Deloitte, says a fine balance between accountability and regulation is the way for the financial services industry to move forward. "The difficulty is to find the right balance and given the level of complexity of what people have on regulators, banking and the insurance companies and overall industry, the difficulty is really fighting for finding the right balance between all these rules." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Economic troubles around the world has fueled corruption and even organized criminals have used banks to make their transactions, says Professor Mark Pieth of Basel University. "People are always mentioning the banks of Cyprus for instance in combination with Russian criminals. I am a technician and I am not speaking to you in order to be politically correct and I think that there is an issue there." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Ireland is committed to the European Union, our country is now stable and the euro zone is stabilizing in significant ways, says Irish finance minister Michael Noonan. "We have a very stable economy, and Europe has stabilized as well, the euro zone has stabilized very significantly. We are committed to Europeans, so Ireland is a very good base for countries looking for European headquarters and an English speaking country that has the euro as a currency." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Prime Minister of Peru, Juan Federico Jimenez Mayor, says his country has been opening up its markets and there are a lot of opportunities for Arab investors. "Peru is a country with a lot of opportunities. It is a very stable country and government machinery is making sure that the country is on the growth path." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

The world of communication technology is changing very fast, Qtel’s growth strategy is to focus on providing and improving broadband services, says Dr. Nasser Mohammed Marafih. [The company is now known as Ooredoo.] "The challenge is what type of content you need to put in that infrastructure because you will have very fast speeds. The same things do not work on the wireless side, of course. Qtel today operates in almost 15 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

The world should not just be pessimistic looking at the West, they should be optimistic seeing the growth trajectory in the emerging markets, says Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori. "My expectation is that we will continue to have the same growth in these sectors providing that we also have some stability in the oil prices." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

In an extremely digitized environment, agencies would be more relevant than ever as they can ensure journey of a message toward right consumers, says Maurice Levy. "I feel extremely confident about our future. I think our future is made of huge opportunities and a lot of possibilities. Obviously, for that we need to change." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

The forethought of UAE leaders has boosted tourism in the country and Dubai's Jumeirah Group is committed to its growth, says Gerald Lawless. "As the world grows wealthier and economies recover, people want to travel and see places such as China, the Middle East and the rest of Asia." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Are Middle East conflicts a result of strategic competition? By Atique Naqvi | Dubai, UAE | Uploaded on the blog recently** The geopolitical disorder across the Middle East and North Africa is part of a strategic competition that is playing out and could lead to major changes in the Arab world, senior government ministers said in a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on MENA regarding the geostrategic outlook for the region. “We are in the midst of a battle and it requires all countries in the region to be involved,” said Saleh Muhammed Al Mutlaq, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, referring to his country’s fight against Daesh, the extremist group also known as ISIS. “Fighting this enemy cannot be the task of a single country. Countries of the region have to join forces.” The US and an international coalition including Arab countries are fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria. “This is an issue that relates not just to regional security or any one country’s security, but to glo

Since its liberation in 2011, Libya is making efforts to attract private sector investment, modernize its banking sector and create jobs for the youth, says Saddek El Kaber. "We have set up a medium-term plan just to improve the quality and try to modernize the banking sector in Libya, the Central Bank and the banking sector as a whole." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Enjoying a good recovery post crisis, Sweden looks to the road ahead and investment in infrastructure, says Anders Borg, Minister of Finance, Sweden. "We are above 2008 employment numbers and unemployment is at 7.4, so we are slightly better than the European average. But it is still a challenge for us and we believe in combined strategy, supplying side reforms and a more flexible market, but at the same time we are also trying to increase labor demand for people with low work skills." The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Saudi Arabia has launched several programs to reduce the unemployment rate, says Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al Assaf, Minister of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "We do not differentiate at all between men and women and we are providing loans and facilities for those who have ideas, whether they are men or women", he said in 2013. The interview was published in the March 2013 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Authorities are grappling with new complex rules and efforts to change expectations of returns and investment risks, said Phillip Thorpe. "Banks that are expecting a lower return on equity of 18 percent are not the banks that are going to manage risks at levels that I believe politicians and the public are expecting", he said in 2011. The interview was published in the March 2011 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.