Focus on finance and banking

13 December 2005

The Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, Glenn Stevens, has opened the Australasian Finance and Banking Conference, hosted by UNSW's Faculty of Commerce and Economics.

The Secretary to the Federal Treasury, Dr Ken Henry, was also among the speakers on the opening day of the three-day conference (14-16 December).

Dr Henry and Chief Economists from some leading banks will take part in a forum with the theme 'Financial Challenges and Opportunities in the Asia Pacific Region for the 21st Century'.

"It's timely to be looking at financial integration in the Asia Pacific," said the convenor of the conference, Professor Fariborz Moshirian, who is from the School of Banking and Finance. "This is already happening globally, particularly with the European Union. The Asia Pacific needs to look at this too, otherwise we won't remain competitive in the global economy."

A number of leading international financial analysts will also address the conference. The First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Dr Anne Krueger, will give a speech entitled At the Service of Nations: The Role of the IMF in the Modern Global Economy. Professor Andrei Shleifer from Harvard University's presentation is entitled Persuasion in Finance.

For the full conference program, go to the School of Banking and Finance website.