18 Sep, 2011Jafza and NASDAQ Dubai to host seminar on capital-raising opportunities for free zone companies

Ernst & Young, Latham & Watkins, SHUAA Capital and Riyada Enterprise Development, part of the Abraaj Group, to form panel of experts

Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) and NASDAQ Dubai will host the first of its kind interactive seminar for prominent companies based in the free zone to share ways in which they can raise capital to fund their expansion, including through a listing on the region's international exchange. The seminar recognizes the major challenges of any business in raising capital and has been developed in collaboration with Jafza, NASDAQ Dubai and leading financial experts to support Jafza companies.

Jeff Singer, Chief Executive of NASDAQ Dubai, will give a presentation to senior company executives at the event on Wednesday 28th September highlighting the different options for capital raising, as well as the advantages of carrying out an initial public offering (IPO) and how to prepare for listing.

He will be joined by a panel of experts from auditing and financial advisory firm Ernst & Young, international law firm Latham & Watkins LLP, investment bank SHUAA Capital psc and private equity firm Riyada Enterprise Development, a member of the Abraaj Group, who will discuss and answer questions from attendees on the opportunities and challenges of various ways of raising capital. The panel session will provide Jafza companies with an exclusive opportunity to hear from these leading organisations, all under one roof.

The seminar is part of an outreach programme to Jafza companies that follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in April 2011 by Mrs. Salma Hareb, Chief Executive Officer of Economic Zones World, the parent company of Jafza, as well as by Mr. Singer on behalf of NASDAQ Dubai.

The programme focuses on providing financing opportunities for companies based in the free zone. It supports the Dubai government's strategic objective of promoting a favourable environment for the growth of international and regional companies and providing them with convenient access to capital markets to fund their development.

Mrs. Salma Hareb said: -We are continuing our strategy, as business enablers, to further enhance our trade and finance ecosystem capabilities. I am very pleased to co-host this interactive seminar which will facilitate our customers to utilise various instruments and tools to support their current business and growth strategies. The panel of experts at the seminar will share market practices and propose tailored solutions for the companies at the workshop and the Jafza community at large. We are strongly committed to customer-oriented solutions that are designed to support businesses in the Free Zone that drive the growth of Jafza, Dubai and the UAE.

Mr. Singer said: -I am looking forward to meeting some of the Middle East's most successful enterprises at the seminar to hear their views on how they wish to raise capital and explain the advantages and requirements of listing as one potential option. As the region's international exchange, NASDAQ Dubai offers company owners the opportunity to sell shares at market value through a book build IPO, with active trading on a liquid platform used by 75 companies listed on Dubai Financial Market (DFM) as well as NASDAQ Dubai.-