During the course of 2011, the trading environment in Egypt has seen a dramatic change as social and political events have challenged the operational efficiencies of importers, exporters and the many financial institutions operating in the country. Following the success of previous years, Exporta returns to Cairo for the 4th Annual Egypt Trade & Export Finance Conference, bringing together the leading figures in trade and trade finance to discuss their shifting priorities and to share their experiences on what has been a demanding and complex year.

The conference will be a key meeting point for a wide variety of speakers and delegates, including a range of corporates, domestic and international banks, ECAs and multilaterals, insurers and risk analysts as well as various key actors across the supply chain. There will also be simultaneous Egyptian Arabic/English translation during the conference so delegates do not miss essential information no matter what their language preference.

The format of the conference enables delegates to gain individual insights from keynote presentations, contribute to debates during panel discussions and network with the highest level of decision makers in attendance.

08.00 Registration and refreshments

09.00 Chairman’s opening remarks
Mounir El Zahid, Managing Director & Deputy Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Bank Egypt

09.10 Keynote: The appeal and perception of the Egyptian market
Andrew Long, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Bank Egypt
• Reflections on the challenges and opportunities of the past year
• How have regional protests affected the trading environment?
• Are the fundamentals of the Egyptian economy strong enough to instill confidence in foreign investment?

09.30 Panel discussion: Are banks open for business as usual?
Moderator: Michael Lacey, Managing Partner, Cairo, SNR Denton
Mohsen Rashad, Head of Financial Institutions & Correspondent Banking,Arab-African International Bank
Tomas Duffy, Deputy Director, Large Corporates, EKN
Aziz Khyari, Regional Consultant, MENA & Turkey, Euromonitor International
Ahmed Hanaa Eldin Mohamed, Trade Finance Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Sonam Kapadia, Executive Director, Global Trade, MENA Region, J.P. Morgan
Hamed Hassouna, Regional Chief Representative, Union de Banques Arabes Et Francaises (UBAF)
• Analysing trade finance risk appetite in Egypt
• For how long will financial institutions adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude?
• Assessing the liquidity levels and deal margins of local banks
• What effect have recent events had on foreign direct investment?

10.30 Networking break

11.15 Analysing the changing levels of soft commodity production
Adam Gross, Director of Strategy, Bourse Africa
• Considering the impact of fluctuating global commodity prices on domestic markets
• What effect have recent events had on essential soft commodity production?
• Are exporters seeing a changing level of risk appetite from financial institutions?
• What are the biggest challenges in soft commodity trade?

11.45 Exploring the opportunities and significance of bilateral trade with Asia
Mona El Sayed, Head, Global Transaction Banking, HSBC Bank Egypt
• Asia-Egypt: Reflections on key bilateral trade routes
• How geographical advantages are facilitating trade
• Do corporates entering the region prefer their domestic banks or Egyptian banks for funding?
• What challenges do Egyptian corporates face in exporting to the Asian market?

12.15 Panel discussion: Corporate challenges in importing and exporting goods
Moderator: Doaa Hafez, Head of Client Relation & Operation, Egypt Factors
Mohamed Al Sadany, Chief Financial Officer, Egyptian International Motors
Amr Daba, Chief Financial Officer, Kandil Steel
Waleed Ragab, Chief Financial Officer, Lafarge
Magdy Almor, Chairperson, Noor Midas Textile
Khaled Barqooki, Chief Financial Officer, Sahara Petroleum Services Company (Sapesco)
Ayman Refaat, Finance Director, Samcrete Development
• How have priorities changed from the start of the year?
• Infrastructure priorities: Shared experiences in domestic and cross-border trading
• What do corporates need? What do corporates want?
• What more can financial institutions do to facilitate growth?

13.15 Lunch

14.30 Considering the Gulf region as a primary trading partner
Mariam Jarrar, Regional Consultant, MENA & Turkey, Euromonitor International
• Reflections on key bilateral trade routes
• Which sectors have benefited most from this lucrative trade ally?
• What challenges do corporates from the Gulf region face when exporting to Egypt?
• Will it be ‘business as usual’ post-elections?

15.00 Multi-banking solutions for LCs, guarantees and open account transactions
Marie-Christine Diaz, Senior Solution Manager, Swift
• Assessing uptake of multi-banking solutions globally and across the MENA landscape
• Is the reliance on traditional LCs and guarantees obstructing or encouraging expansion into new markets?
• What are the treasurer priorities in processing client/supplier transactions?
• Is there sufficient appetite in the market to secure open account transactions?
• What are the recent evolutions in terms of standards and market practices?

15.30 Networking break

16.00 Evaluating structured finance options for Egypt’s oil and gas sector
Helmy Ghazi, Head of Structured Finance, HSBC Bank Egypt 
• How has the oil and gas sector been affected by the protests?
• In what ways will the sector be affected by the elections? 
• Considering the effect of fluctuating energy prices
• Best practices in structuring an oil and gas deal

16.30 Panel discussion: The role of export finance in facilitating trade
Moderator: Dora Fiani, Chief Executive Officer, Coface Egypt
Okey Oramah, Executive Vice-President, Afreximbank
Tarek Adly, International Relations Director, Export Development Bank of Egypt
Mohamed Ragui, Managing Director, Export Development Fund (Ministry of Trade and Industry)
Raouf Ghabbour, Chairman, GB Auto Group
Hubert Bock, Managing Director, Misr Bank Europe 
• What new trends have developed in export finance from the start of 2011?
• Have fluctuating commodity prices had an effect on export levels?
• Analysing new and existing products in the export finance market to facilitate trade
• What is the biggest challenge for Egyptian exports?

17.30 Close of conference followed by evening netwroking reception