10 Apr, 2017Nasdaq Dubai to launch ‘Market Site’, the premier hub for capital market activities in the region

• Venue in DIFC will be centre for thought leadership and television news reporting

• Market Site will strengthen communication between region’s financial ecosystem and rest of the world

Nasdaq Dubai, the region’s international stock exchange, today announced it will create a premier platform for capital market, economic, and business thought leadership. Named ‘Market Site’, the venue in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) will feature an attractive and technologically advanced event space for corporate functions and seminars as well as broadcasting studio facilities.

Scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2018, Market Site will facilitate in-depth reporting of financial and business news across the MEASA region through collaboration between Nasdaq Dubai and international and regional television broadcasting companies. This cooperation will encourage enhanced media coverage of the region’s capital markets and economic landscape.

Market Site will also host market-opening bell-ringing events attracting global visibility from a state of the art arena, where senior executives can celebrate IPOs and other listings, and individuals and organisations can take centre stage to make key announcements and share their respective news with the world.

In addition, seminars, roundtables and educational forums held at Market Site by Nasdaq Dubai and other organisations will provide dynamic thought leadership in topics of interest to the financial and business community in the MEASA region and beyond, including Islamic finance, asset class innovation and ways of strengthening global business and financial links.

Hamed Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Nasdaq Dubai, said: "As the region’s financial markets expand rapidly in size and sophistication, Market Site will meet a growing need for a premier facility for thought leadership, events and information as well as providing visibility for issuers. The DIFC is the leading financial markets hub of the region, making it the ideal venue for the Nasdaq Dubai Market Site as a platform that broadcasts business and financial news as well as hosting discussions and seminars on the economy, financial services, and business scene."

Market Site is a timely and welcome addition to DIFC’s offering, giving

DIFC has played an integral role in shaping the financial services landscape, not just in the UAE but in the broader Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, a market that is worth US$ 7.4 trillion. The Market Site will enable the Centre to further enhance its reputation as a stable, innovative platform for financial firms to access high-growth emerging markets in the region and a major gateway for growth across the South-South corridor.

Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, said: "This is an exciting development for Nasdaq Dubai and its market participants, and one that we are delighted to host within DIFC’s existing infrastructure. The new Market Site venue will provide state of the art facilities to help the financial community and beyond share and exchange knowledge.

"Bringing financial players together sits right at the core of DIFC's strategy and our mission to be a leading catalyst for regional economic growth, and we are pleased that Nasdaq Dubai is so actively pursuing the same goal. Market Site is a welcome addition as DIFC moves forward on the delivery of our 2024 Strategy."

Nasdaq Dubai has been based in the DIFC since the exchange opened in 2005. Itslisted companiesinclude international as well as regional businesses, with a global as well as regional investor base. The exchange’s unique regional initiatives include an equity futures market, opened in September 2016.

Market Site and all other Nasdaq Dubai operations will be located inside ‘The Exchange’ building, currently under construction in DIFC.