First Syrian Conference for Banks and Microfinance

Damascus, (ST) – Activities of the First Syrian Conference for Banks and Micro finance Exhibition will kickoff tomorrow at the Dama Rose Hotel in Damascus.

The three-day exhibition aims to shed light on the reality of banking services,the foundations of the financing of small and medium enterprises and the opportunity and to identify the funders of projects in Syria.

Director General of Masarat Company for Exhibitions and Conferences, Anas Zabian, said in a statement to local press that preparations for the exhibition started about a year ago and it is the first of its kind in Syria in terms of content. The exhibition, he added, seeks to publicize the potential of the establishment of small and medium enterprises, the importance of these projects and the mechanism of management as it an essential factor in returning the wheel of economy and they make up 80 percent of total economic activity of any country and they run between 40 and 60 percent of employment.

“The activities of the exhibition include holding an investment banking conference guided to banking development and investment prospects through work papers submitted by a number of public and private banks, Syrian Investment Association, Financial Markets and Investment Sectors, Damascus Exchange Market and the Association of Financial Brokerage Firms,” Mr. Zabian pointed out.

The exhibition, he added, also includes workshops and dialogues on banking development and the role of the Syrian Exporters’ Federation in the link between banks and small and medium enterprises in addition to a work paper submitted by the Union of Insurance Companies about insurance and prospects for development.

A number of public and private banks, micro finance institutions, insurance companies and service companies will take part in the exhibition.

Sharif al Khatib