World Alliance of International Financial Centers concludes Board meeting in London

World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) concludes Board Meeting and Extraordinary General Meeting in London.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, May 3, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) concludes Board Meeting and Extraordinary General Meeting in London.
This first gathering of the alliance in the UK, hosted by TheCityUK was attended by 20 members from across the globe and finalized the strategic plans for WAIFC for the upcoming year.

Key decisions reached as part of the board meeting included the appointments of Alya Al Zarouni (Dubai International Financial Centre) and Timur Onzhanov (Astana International Financial Centre) to the board; EnterpriseNGR being approved as a new member to WAIFC representing the Lagos financial center, and two new projects added to the WAIFC agenda being; Art and Finance (coordinated by FinCityTokyo) and Women in Finance (coordinated by Casablanca Finance City).

During the visit to London, the WAIFC board had the privilege of meeting Sir Peter Estlin, Alderman of the City of London, to discuss the promotion of London as an International Financial Center (IFC) and challenges and opportunities facing IFCs around the world. The board also met with Chris Hayward (Chairman of the Policy Committee, City of London Corporation) stressing the importance of educating stakeholder groups on the role of financial centers and what they entail as well as the necessary exchange of best practices between financial centers to benefit the sector.

WAIFC members also participated in roundtable discussions with the Regulatory Genome Project in the Downing College Cambridge, discussing financial regulation across jurisdictions; and with the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation (Judge Business School), exploring the role financial centres can play to help under-represented entrepreneurs.

Members attended the International Conference 2023 hosted by TheCityUK themed “Collaborating globally for sustainable growth”, the topic being highly relevant as the WAIFC Board had approved combined activities around COP28. WAIFC members also were hosted by Rise (created by Barclays), a global community consisting of some the most talented innovators globally).

Commenting on the importance of collaboration, Chris Hayward (Chairman of the Policy Committee, City of London Corporation) stated:
"The aim of such bodies to exist is to strengthen our respective economies. We must work together as international financial centers to exchange best practice and benefit the industry globally".

Commenting on the Board Meeting, Keiichi Aritomo, Chair of the WAIFC Board stated:
“Two words resonate with me the most following this board meeting, collaboration and exchange. All meetings, roundtables and discussions stressed the need for more collaboration and exchange in the sector, which will help us all in delivering sustainable growth. Whether it is educating stakeholder groups on the role and purpose of financial centers, or creating platforms for members to exchange ideas, all players within our ecosystem want collaboration. We thank TheCityUK for a great showcase of the work happening in the UK and which further supports our purpose to work with our members to collaborate and exchange ideas across borders to develop the sector across regions. We would like to welcome our newest member EnterpriseNGR which will go a long way to further support our work in the African Market. I also want to welcome our new board members and look forward to executing the projects that we agreed with them in the upcoming year”.

Miles Celic, Chief Executive Officer, TheCityUK, said:
“We were delighted to host the WAIFC board in London. It was a great opportunity to share insights and best practice and continue conversations about the strong and mutual benefits of collaboration between international financial centres.”

On joining the WAIFC, Obi Ibekwe – CEO, EnterpriseNGR said:
“We are delighted to be admitted to full membership of WAIFC after a year as Observers. Over the last year, we have actively participated in a number of WAIFC initiatives and found tremendous value in our interactions. As an emerging financial hub in Africa, we believe that our membership in WAIFC will enable us to share best practices, learn from our peers, and contribute to the growth and development of the financial industry in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”

Lami Adekola – Director, Policy and Public Affairs, EnterpriseNGR:
“EnterpriseNGR is committed to transforming Nigeria into a global financial centre and a destination of choice for operators and investors alike. We are thrilled to join WAIFC and be part of this outstanding network of financial centers, we look forward to contributing to the discourse and efforts at advancing the global Financial and Professional Services space.”

The World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) is a non-profit association registered in Belgium, representing 27 leading international financial centers on five continents. WAIFC members are city governments, associations, and similar institutions developing and promoting their financial centers. WAIFC facilitates cooperation between its members, the exchange of best practices, and communication with the general public.

TheCityUK is the industry-led body representing UK-based financial and related professional services, an industry that contributes over 12% of the UK’s total economic output, is the largest taxpayer, and employs over 2.5 million people across the country – two-thirds of whom are based outside London. It is the UK’s largest net exporting industry and generates a trade surplus exceeding that of all other net exporting industries combined.

EnterpriseNGR an independent member-led group established for the purpose of promoting and influencing an enabling policy environment for the Nigerian Financial and Professional Services (FPS) sector. The Nigerian FPS sector comprises the Banking and Finance, Insurance, Pensions, Asset Management, Capital Markets and Green Finance, Islamic Finance, FinTech, Law, Accounting and Consulting subsectors.Our goal is to support the growth and development of Nigeria’s Financial and Professional Services sector and the economy.

Abdulrahim Osman
WAIFC
+971 56 549 8434
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