KUWAIT: In line with its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in banking in Kuwait, Gulf Bank is a Gold Sponsor of this year's ArabNet conference, set to take place at Arraya Ballroom - Courtyard Marriott tomorrow (17 October 2017).

The conference will be held for two days, under the patronage of Khaled Nasser Abdullah Al-Roudan, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and will include panel discussions on ad-tech, investment and innovation, digital commerce, and will include startup battle and Ideathon competition, as well as a tech fair for exhibitors.

Commenting on the participation, Laila Al-Qatami, Assistant General Manager at Gulf Bank said: "Gulf Bank is happy to be a gold sponsor of this year's ArabNet conference. Banking innovation and support for youth are important to the Bank, and this conference will be exploring these very topics. The ArabNet conference last year made a big impact in Kuwait and was well attended, we expect this year to be an even bigger success. We thank the team at ArabNet for putting together an interesting and exciting conference, we look forward to seeing you there."

To address the emerging SME market in Kuwait, the Bank will be represented by Meshari Shehab, Assistant General Manager for Priority and Wealth Management at Gulf Bank. Shehab will be a judge at the Startup competition tomorrow (17 October) a 12 noon. Additionally, members of the Gulf Bank team will be present at our booth to address any questions and offer advice to young entrepreneurs on best methods for funding for their ideas and businesses.

Furthermore, Tareq Al-Saleh Assistant General Manager for Investments, will be speaking on new trends and innovation panel at 10am on Wednesday (18 October). Al-Saleh will explain how Gulf Bank delivered Kuwait's first customized digital investment platform with its recently launched WISE Investments product. With WISE, Gulf Bank has simplified the investment process by offering customized investment scenarios based on each customer's risk appetite and investment goals. Feel free to come by the Gulf Bank booth to learn more about this cutting edge investment platform.

The conference will feature over 30+ leading companies from across the region and the world, engaging guests to discover the latest trends, applications, and technologies in the region also pave the way for competitions through The Startup Battle, which will highlight the best regional startups to an enthusiastic crowd of investors, incubators, media and digital professionals, as well as connect entrepreneurs with the digital world and The Ideathon competition which will showcase the best ideas from regional entrepreneurs in order to connect them with the latest developments in the digital world.

ArabNet is a leading events, media and research company focused on digital business and entrepreneurship in MENA. ArabNet organizes major annual conferences in Beirut, Riyadh, Dubai, and Kuwait; publishes news and analysis of the digital sector on its online news portal and print 'ArabNet Quarterly' magazine; and creates original research reports about the region's digital industry.