the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, BNY Mellon, Auerbach Grayson and The Arab Bankers Association of North America (ABANA) were yesterday delighted to host the second Lebanon Capital Market day in New York on April 27th at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The delegation included the Lebanese Minister of Finance, the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, diplomats and executives from top Lebanese companies.
The conference included an address by His Excellency Raya Haffar El Hassan, the Lebanese Minister of Finance, along with presentations by participating Lebanese companies.
Presenting at the conference was Bank Audi, BLOM Bank, Byblos Bank, Malia Group and Solidere. His Excellency Antoine Chedid, Lebanese Ambassador to the United States presented a key note address to the conference.
H.E. Raya Haffar El Hassan, the Lebanese Minister of Finance said, "It's very important for Lebanon to be present every year in the financial capital of the world and it is very helpful for the Lebanese business community to communicate with its U.S. counterparts. It is a welcome initiative from the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce that we count on to a great extent, to show the big investment opportunities in Lebanon and to prove that the Lebanese companies are able to be present in the global capital markets to attract investors." She added, "This conference will be, for the second consecutive year, an opportunity to present the economic situation of Lebanon, and to highlight its good performance and flexibility it showed toward the recent global financial crisis, which has become a byword in the world."
David Grayson, Managing Director of Auerbach Grayson said they have been active in the Lebanese market for many years. "We continue to serve Lebanon and its capital markets by facilitating institutional investor interest in the thriving corporate sector . We are honoured to once again be playing a key role in drawing attention to Lebanon and its resilient economy by sponsoring second Lebanese Capital Market day".
Michael Cole-Fontayn, CEO of BNY Mellon Depositary Receipts said, "Our firm commitment to Lebanon and the wider Middle East and Africa region continues and is strengthened by occasions such as this important event. We have been established in Lebanon since 1963, offering issuer services, correspondent banking services, as well as custody and asset management services. As the global leader in corporate trust and depositary receipts services we see Lebanon as one of our historic and most important markets and we look forward to working closely with issuers in the future."
President of the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce said, "While the world is looking for an exit strategy, Lebanon is looking forward to an astounding growth of 9%, and that is because of the wise monetary policy the government has in place and for the commitment of people like Minister El Hassan. We are proud to be in the United States and confident that this initiative to bring together Lebanese institutions and representatives of U.S. investment funds will be fruitful, just like last year, because Lebanon is a worthy partner for investment. Lebanon Capital Market Day was a huge success last year, and we've managed to make it a sustainable model. We come here this year with higher expectations and greater determination, two qualities you will find Lebanese people generally have."
Mohammad Aama - Beam Capital Management & member of the board of the Arab Bankers Association of North America said, "ABANA aims to stimulate greater financial and commercial relationships between North America and the MENA region, in which the Lebanese economy plays a crucial role. Today's presentations and discussions have been a great opportunity to provide New York-based investors with access to the views of Her Excellency the Minister of Finance and get a frank assessment of Lebanon's major financial institutions and public companies."
