Page 89 - INVESTOPIA ENGLISH PR REPORT FEBRUARY - MARCH 2025

need to set clear performance standards to ensure tangible and measurable results. Speakers
highlighted the role of impact investing in achieving social change, noting the importance of
adopting sustainable investment models that combine financial returns with positive social
impact, in addition to supporting entrepreneurship and social initiatives to promote
sustainable development.

Enhancing Competitiveness in the Financial Services Sector

In a related context, the third session discussed “Enhancing Growth in the Financial Services
Sector”, during which Her Excellency Emma Reynolds, MP, UK Treasury Secretary,
delivered a keynote speech, highlighting the most prominent trends and policies that affect
the development of the financial sector globally, with a focus on the role played by the United
Kingdom in supporting financial markets and entrepreneurship. She reviewed the most
prominent economic transformations and their impact on the financial services sector, such as
inflation, rising interest rates, and changes in monetary policies. She focused on the potential
for strengthening economic and investment partnerships between the United Kingdom and
the UAE to support sustainable growth in international markets.

In her speech, Her Excellency Emma Reynolds explained that the financial sector is a
fundamental pillar of the United Kingdom’s economy, stressing the new Labour
government’s commitment to maintaining the City of London as a major global business hub.
Reynolds also stressed the depth of the historical relations and close cooperation between the
United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, expressing her confidence that this
partnership will continue to flourish.

Diversifying investment portfolios and potential risks

In a session titled “Geopolitics and Investment… Unstable Paths”, Roberto Hornweg, CEO of
Standard Chartered for Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East; Naguib Sawiris,
Chairman and CEO of ORA Developers; and Burak Dalioglu, Head of the Investment Office
of the Turkish Presidency, participated, where they highlighted the experience of assessing
geopolitical risks among private banks and major investors by forming specialized teams and
using experts from governments and public administrations to guide their investment
strategies, in addition to how to diversify investment portfolios to reduce exposure to risks
resulting from political unrest, and possible future scenarios and their impact on the global
economy.
In this context, Naguib Sawiris said: “In light of the changing geopolitical landscape, there is
an urgent need to adopt flexible investment strategies capable of facing challenges. Egypt has
great economic potential, especially with the recovery of the tourism sector and the
improvement of exports, as exports recently reached about $1.5 billion, supporting the
currency’s stability. He pointed out that in light of investors’ search for stable economic
environments, the UAE emerges as an ideal economic environment that encourages investors
to move to it and benefit from the possibilities it provides, which explains the move of about
1,500 Egyptian companies to Abu Dhabi during the past period, benefiting from the
supportive investment environment and economic stability provided by the UAE.”