***Plans finalized for the November 18 event***

Michael Foot from Promontory Financial Group (UK) Ltd., is among the headline speakers for The Nassau Conference 2009 which takes place Wednesday November 18 at the British Colonial Hilton.

Now in its fifth year under the Founding Partner and lead sponsorship of the Association of International Banks and Trust Companies in The Bahamas (AIBT), the Conference will see Mr. Foot and other speakers address key issues facing The Bahamas such as the OECD standard for information exchange and jurisdiction development needs.

Under the theme **“Private Wealth Management: The Changing Dynamics“** the 2009 Conference programme will include presentations covering:

• **The Rapidly Changing World of “Off-Shore Centers”** with speaker Michael Foot, Promontory Financial Group (UK) Ltd.

• A panel discussion on **The Bahamas Status and Strategy Towards Tax Information Agreements**, with John Delaney, Higgs & Johnson and Arthur Strommer, Credit Suisse Nassau Branch and a third panelist.

• A panel discussion on **Tax Amnesties** covering the United States, Brazil and Italy and featuring Robert F. Hudson, Jr. Baker & McKenzie LLP; Humberto de Haro Sanches, Ulhôa Canto, Rezende e Guerra Advogados; and Franco Pollini, BSI Bank Ltd.

• **The Benefits of Economic Permanent Residency** with Graham Harvey from The Scorpio Partnership.

• A panel discussion titled **Private Wealth Management: What does The Bahamas need to do to get better and smarter?** It features consultant Bruce Weatherill who has previously been involved in strategy development for the jurisdiction.

• A panel discussion on **The Next Generation of Bahamian Entrepreneurs in Financial Services** featuring Wendy Craigg, Governor of Central Bank of the Bahamas and Hilary Deveaux, Executive Director, Securities Commission of The Bahamas.

The registration fee for the Conference is $500. You can [register online](http://www.nassauconference.com) or by calling AIBT at 356-3898.

*“We are very excited about the topics and speaker line up for the Conference,”* said Conference Chairman Andrew Law. *“The conference comes at a particularly challenging time for the industry and we have concentrated on developing sessions that will deal with the pressing issues we are facing.”* Students from the College of The Bahamas will also be attending the Conference as they have in previous years, courtesy of the corporate sponsors for the event.

*“AIBT recognizes that our future and growth and development are very much dependent on attracting more and younger Bahamians to consider careers in the sector,”* said Christian Coqouz, AIBT’s Chairman. *“As a result we structured our sponsorship packages to allow our corporate sponsors to cover the cost of one of or more students to attend the event.”*

The Conference Steering Committee includes Conference Chairman Andrew Law from International Protector Group; Arthur Strommer, Credit Suisse Nassau Branch; Bruno Roberts, The Private Trust Corporation; Clifford Johnson, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Dominique Lefevre, SG Hambros; Jan Mezulanik, Pictet Bank & Trust; Wendy Warren, Bahamas Financial Services Board; and Anastacia Johnson, AIBT.

The AIBT was established in 1976 to represent the International Banks and Trust Companies operating from The Bahamas. The Association is funded by its members and works with them to promote professional standards in the industry and continued success and understanding of the banking sector.