The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is the world’s fastest growing emerging financial centre.  Its ultra modern, highly efficient and well-regulated infrastructure serves both the Middle East and the rest of the world.  DIFC bridges the time gap between the financial centres of Hong Kong and London, providing the Gateway to a region with the largest untapped emerging market for financial services. Since its inception in November 2004, DIFC has attracted more than 600 of the world’s leading companies, among them a number of the Global 500, including the Top 10, with its open environment complemented by uncompromisingly high standards. The DIFC focuses on several financial sectors which include:

• Banking & Brokerage
• Capital Markets
• Islamic Finance
• Ancillary Services
• Re-insurance & Captives
• Wealth Management

DIFC is an integral part of Dubai’s dynamic economy and with the contribution of financial services to Dubai's GDP forecast to more than quadruple from $3.4bn today to $15bn by 2015, DIFC is firmly established as the region’s leading financial hub.

AmInvestment Bank Group was incorporated as AmInvestment Group Berhad on 23 June 2004 as a public limited company. AmInvestment Bank Group is the investment holding company of the AmBank Group‘s investment banking business.

The listing of AmInvestment Group in May 2005 marked the culmination of the AmBank Group’s efforts in reorganising its investment banking, broking and funds management operations into a well-defined, client-focused banking group. In December 2006, as part of a streamlining exercise to provide more competitive investment banking expertise and service excellence to the financial markets, AmMerchant Bank Berhad was renamed AmInvestment Bank Berhad. Concurrently, its parent, AmInvestment Group was renamed AmInvestment Bank Group.

Today, AmInvestment Bank Group is the largest investment banking group in Malaysia with total assets of RM18.53 billion and shareholders' funds of RM2.18 billion as at 30 September 2006.

"The AmInvestment Bank Group aspires to be a pre-eminent provider of investment banking services.

KFH Research Ltd is a direct subsidiary of KFH Kuwait, and is the first in-house global research arm to be established by an Islamic Bank. Since inception, KFH Research has published numerous flagship reports which have received wide coverage, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. These publications provide an assessment of long term economic outlook, Islamic capital markets and analyses the implications for investment in these regions. KFH Research Ltd is one of the few research entities around the world that collates economic data on the GCC nations to enable near accurate forecasts of key economic and investment indicators. In addition, KFH Research conducts research in Islamic finance, with a principle focus on debt capital markets and Sukuks, as well as on emerging markets and promising sectors. KFH Research plays a crucial role in linking Asia and the GCC region by providing a full range of economics and capital market research that are utilised by its clients to facilitate their investment decision-making process. In 2007, KFH Research was awarded “Best Research in Islamic Finance” by Terrapin & Dow Jones Islamic.

FTSE Group (FTSE) is a world-leader in the creation and management of over 100,000 equity, bond and hedge fund indices. With offices in Beijing, London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Boston, Shanghai, Madrid, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Tokyo, FTSE Group services clients in 77 countries worldwide. FTSE is an independent company owned by The Financial Times and the London Stock Exchange. FTSE does not give financial advice to clients, which allows for the provision of truly objective market information.

FTSE indices are used extensively by investors world-wide such as consultants, asset owners, asset managers, investment banks, stock exchanges and brokers. The indices are used for purposes of: Investment analysis, performance measurement, asset allocation, portfolio hedging and creation of index tracking funds.

Independent committees of senior fund managers, derivatives experts, actuaries and other experienced practitioners review and approve all changes to the indexes to ensure that they are made objectively and without bias.

As part of its community program, FTSE Group has worked with the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, since 1997 to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support poverty reduction and basic healthcare for children.

MNRB Retakaful Berhad was incorporated in December 2006 as a wholly owned subsidiary of MNRB Holdings Berhad and was granted the operating license by the supervisory authority, Bank Negara Malaysia, on August 1st, 2007. It is another effort to position the MNRB Group as a significant player in the global takaful industry and to assist in promoting Malaysia as the international centre for Islamic finance. The Group, with its experience in reinsurance and retail takaful, sees it important for the retakaful initiative be operated by a stand alone entity that can enjoy considerable operational independence and thus able to contribute effectively towards the orderly development of the sector. It is another effort to extend the Shariah-compliant supply chain in the takaful industry. Being a new kid in a new neighborhood, the next few years promise exciting challenges and multiple learning curves to the Company.

To view the sponsors from MIF 2007 click here.

To view the sponsors from MIF 2006 click here.