Press Release
BAFT AND THE ASIAN BANKER TO JOINTLY HOST ANNUAL ASIAN CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 – The Bankers’ Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT) entered into an agreement today with The Asian Banker to operate its annual Asian conference as part of The Asian Banker Summit. The joint conference will be called The BAFT Asia Conference on Cash, Treasury and Trade.
“This agreement is part of our increased commitment to serving the Asian financial services community,” said Craig Weeks, the president of BAFT and senior vice president of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
"The Asian Banker is a trusted service provider with considerable access to all players in the financial services industry in the region. We believe that the partnership will result in considerable value to our members as well as the financial institutions community. While our joint efforts are designed to benefit both organizations, the real winner will be the financial services industry," added Charles Silverman, BAFT vice president and managing director of Wachovia Bank N. A., who guided the development of the agreement.
The agreement provides for BAFT’s annual Asian conference to be held in conjunction with The Asian Banker Summit 2008, which every year brings together more than 600 senior executives from financial institutions, as well as senior regulators and investors to discuss global issues that are transforming the banking industry today.
“The Asian Banker Summit, now entering its ninth year, is already a world class annual meeting, featuring this increasingly important part of the world,” said Emmanuel Daniel, the president of The Asian Banker. “We have always wanted this important meeting to be increasingly owned by the industry. This agreement with BAFT is a major step in that direction.”
The new conference will be jointly owned and promoted by BAFT and The Asian Banker. It will run alongside The Asian Banker Summit’s other three conferences on risk management, technology and regulation as the single most important annual event for senior decision makers in the financial institutions industry to attend.
The conference in 2008 will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, under the auspices of the Vietnam Banks Association and feature a wide range of global speakers.
“The choice of Vietnam reflects the increasing importance of this economy to the financial services
community,” said Daniel. “It is a rising Asian economy with GDP growth averaging 8.5 percent per annum.”
About BAFT
The Bankers' Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT) is a financial trade association whose membership represents a broad range of internationally active financial institutions and companies that provide important services to the global financial community. BAFT serves as a forum for analysis, discussion and action among international financial professionals on a wide range of topics affecting international trade and finance, including legislative/regulatory issues. Because of its global focus and broad membership, BAFT plays a unique role in expanding markets worldwide, shaping public policy, and promoting practices that preserve the safety and soundness of the international financial system. The association’s website is www.baft.org.
About The Asian Banker
The Asian Banker is the region’s most authoritative provider of strategic business intelligence to the financial services community. The Singapore-based organisation has offices in Singapore, Malaysia and China (Beijing and Shanghai) as well as representatives in London, New York and the Middle East. With a business that revolves around three core business lines – research, publications and forums – the organisation is highly regarded in the financial services community for its incisive and independent commentaries on developments in the industry. The company’s website is www.theasianbanker.com.
Mr David Eldon, Former Chairman, HSBC, Chairman, Dubai International Financial Centre Authority
Sir George Mathewson, former chairman, the Royal Bank of Scotland & chairman, Toscafund
Mr Cesar Virata,
Former Prime Minister of the Philippines and current Corporate Vice-Chairman, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation
Mr Byung Chul Yoon, Former Chairman of Woori Financial Group and currently Chairman, Financial Planning Standards Board Korea
Dr Michael Ong, former Chief Risk Officer, Credit Agricole Indosuez, Professor of Finance, Stuart Graduate School of Business, Illinois
Dr John C. Pattison,
Senior Vice President, Treasury and Risk Management, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Mr Philip Strause,
International Resource Director, The Asian Banker, former Head, Financial Institutions Practice, Asia Pacific, Deloitte & Touche
Mr Venky Krishnakumar, Senior Advisor, Global Retail and Commercial Banking Group, Barclays Bank PLC, Singapore
Mr Ishrat Husain,
Former Governor, State Bank of Pakistan and Chairman, National Commission for Government Reforms, Prime Minister's Secretariat
Dr Zhang Bingxun, General Manager, Financial Institutions Department, Bank of China 
Mr Yogan Rasanayakam, General Manager, Asia, Westpac Banking Corporation 
