Observer Report Lahore
The Bank of Punjab (BOP) hosted an Investment Conference in Dubai, on Saturday, wherein esteemed panelists / guest speakers spoke on topics of interest covering the investment climate and opportunities that Punjab has to offer to investors.
Finance Minister Punjab, Mr. Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, inaugurated and attended the conference along with Mr. Hassan Afzal Khan, Counsel General of Pakistan, UAE, Mr. Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfaraz, Minister of Higher Education and Information Technology, Punjab and other high-ranking officials of the Government of Punjab (‘GoPb’).
Several prominent Pakistani corporate leaders and experts from leading international financial institutions were also present at the event.
The investment conference provided an excellent interactive platform for speakers and participants on potential investment opportunities in Punjab along with policy making suggestions. The event had various sessions during the day which covered key topics of interest by speakers and panelists.
Mr. Anees Khawaja (Director & Owner, Mahmood Group of Industries) will presented Investment Landscape in Punjab, Pakistan and opportunities for investment. Mr. Amjad A. Awan (CEO Punjab Public Private Partnership Authority) talked about Public Private Partnership regime in Punjab and recent developments along with incentives and legal safeguards for the private sector and success stories. Mr. Lasitha Perera (Co-founder, The Development Guarantee Group) shared his thoughts on Green bonds and green financing routes for infrastructure projects in Pakistan and how Green Guarantee Company can help companies in Pakistan access global market for green bonds / financing.
Mr. Imran Amin (CEO, Rural Urban Development Authority, Punjab) talked about Real Estate Sector in Pakistan, recent initiatives and developmental activities by GoP and private investors and investment opportunities for potential investors. Mr. Muhammad Ejaz (CEO of Arif Habib Dolmen REIT Management Limited), Mr. Jamil Akbar, (COO TPL Properties), Mr. Murad Ansari (Director, EFG Hermes) discussed Private sector investment and opportunities available for international investors in real estate sector of Pakistan in light of favorable policies announced by the GoP, key challenges and outlook.
Mr. Faysal Aftab (CEO Zayn Capital) had a very engaging panel session with Mr. Faizan Aslam (CEO Bookme.pk) and Salman Sattar (CEO Bagallery.com) about Investment Climate in Technology & Startup Ecosystem in Pakistan.
Mr. Kashif Raza (Head IBG Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, UAE) and Mufti Irshad Ahmed Ejaz (Shariah Advisor
Member of the AAOIFI Shariah Standard Committee) discussed and talked about role of Sukuks and syndications in infrastructure financing, structuring issues and challenges, and matching the expectations of Issuers and Investors.
Mr. Farrukh H. Khan (MD, Pakistan Stock Exchanged), talked about investment opportunities for overseas Pakistanis. Mr. Muhammad Saqib Sajjad (Head Fis and Correspondence Banking, BOP) conducted a very engaging panel discussion with experts form financial services industry which included Ms. Hind Chawky (Head of Financial Markets, MENAP – SCB), Mr. Nadeem Saleh (Regional Head – Fis, Mashreq Bank) and Mr. Khawar Ansari (Group Head Treasury and FIs, BOP). This session covered in detail Introduction to GOP Securities, opportunities and mechanism to invest in PKR securities through SCRA and RDA Accounts.
