FIRE Middle East 2024

'Women in FIRE' Afternoon Tea & Panel Session
5.00pm

Women in FIRE connects women in litigation or whose practice encompasses or touches upon Fraud, Contentious Insolvency, Asset Recovery and International Enforcement. 

Being Seen in the Workplace

• Normalising individualistic presentation in the workplace across cultures
• Advocating for diversity in the region – encouraging allyship
• Challenges faced and working to overcome it in the legal sector

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Pre-Event Networking Welcome Party 4th Floor - ikandy ultralounge (by the pool)
7.00pm

Meet your fellow attendees and connect with the intrepid business travellers.

Registration & Welcome Refreshments
9.00am

Chairpersons' Opening Remarks
9.20am

Keynote Presentation
9.30am

Hot Trends and Regulatory Updates for FIRE In the Middle East
10.00am

• Impacts of the UAE being removed from the Financial Task Force grey list
• Analysing the changes to the UAE Arbitration Law
• Impacts for moving towards modern technology and expanding the scope to virtual and online arbitration proceedings
• Using the GCC convention for cross border recovery – tips and tricks

Crystal Ball – Increasing Investment Towards the Middle East
10.40am

• Exploring the sovereign wealth funds space in the Middle East
• Preparing for increased investments, resulting in the need for asset recovery down the line
• Where are the investments going? What are the recoveries coming from?
• What does the current infrastructure look like? A look at the practical challenges in preparing for handling an increasing number of cases

Networking & Refreshment Break
11.20am

Exploring The New Bankruptcy and Insolvency Procedures
11.40am

• Unpacking the new changes to the UAE Bankruptcy Law
• Factoring in the old law and new law – the transition period
• Challenges with cross-border recognition of insolvency judgements
• Dissecting the insolvency challenges in the region
• How to deal locally with insolvent companies

Getting The Lay of The Land - An Update on Enforcements of Judgments
12.20pm

• An update on the treaties and enforcement across the differing courts
• What are the complications the arise when you have a court judgement
• Honing in on the enforcement of awards within the UAE

Networking & Lunch Break
1.00pm

Afternoon Chairpersons

How Technology Is Enhancing the Asset Recovery Space
2.00pm

• End-to-end implementation of technology and software
• Software to use to optimize and automate your work
• How is AI impacting the investigations world – help or hinder?
• AI in disputes – what are the pitfalls from a fraud perspective

A New Age - Fraud Within the Digital Assets Space
2.40pm

• How existing laws and procedures deal with new technologies – does the law need to be amended or is it perfectly serviceable?
• Freezing injunctions against the exchanges and using crypto keys – what can realistically be done?
• Unpacking the different sets of regulation in the UAE (VARA / ADGM / DIFC) – which one should you follow
• Will the local procedures allow you to enforce digital assets?
• Digital asset regulations and the interplay between Saudi and UAE

Networking & Refreshment Break
3.20pm

Ensuring Enforcement – A Paper Victory is Not Enough
3.40pm

• Planning for enforcement of awards within the jurisdiction
• The interface between common law remedies and Middle East enforcement
• An international look: enforcing judgements across borders

The In-House Perspective - Challenges and Opportunities
4.20pm

• Exploring resource opportunities
• Keeping costs low – what alternative options are available
• Using asset tracers to help with strategy

Chairpersons' Summary & Close of Day 1
5.00pm

Networking Drinks Reception 4th Floor - ikandy ultralounge (by the pool)
5.30pm

Conference Dinner Ground Floor - Dunes Restaurant
7.30pm

Hosted by:

Networking & Morning Refreshments
9.00am

Chairpersons' Welcome Back
9.20am

A Changing Perception Towards the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia
10.00am

• Update on the investments going into Saudi
• Vision 2030 – what does that mean for assets
• What are the differing risks from a fraud perspective
• Update on the new civil transactions law

Unpacking The Full Cycle of Asset Recovery
10.40am

• The little things count – ensuring nothing gets missed out
• The penal code and understanding the criminal side
• Are you thinking of the interim issues, tools, and remedies?

Networking & Refreshment Break
11.20am

Transferring The Risk of Recovery via Litigation Funding
11.40am

• Options for how disputes can be financed
• The regulations for litigation funding across the Middle East
• Key factors to consider when using litigation funding
• Ensuring the funder is subject to strict confidentiality obligations
• Avoiding conflicts of interest, and ensuring control

Bridging The Gap Between Onshore and Offshore Jurisdictions
12.20pm

• Getting a local advocate involved with onshore enforcement
• Coordinating your strategy when it comes to onshore processes
• Ensuring the right steps are taken to enforce onshore judgements

Networking & Lunch Break
1.00pm

Afternoon Chairpersons

Strategising Your NPL Portfolio
2.00pm

• Lessons learned from mature markets
• Exploring the recoveries of NPL sales
• What are the regulatory constraints?

Sanctions Regime and its Impact Across the World
2.40pm

• How sanctions have changed the work for legal practitioners – practical applications/applied discussion
• What to do with the lack of asset recovery remedies in foreign companies
• Looking at redomiciling to special offshore zones

Networking & Refreshment Break
3.20pm

Perspective From an Investigator’s Work in Asset Tracing
3.40pm

• Working around a cross jurisdictional space
• Being aware of overstepping and overreaching in certain jurisdictions
• The need for delicate research – proprietary software
• Using investigators to assist you and provide information
• How to deal with jurisdiction that have a lack of public resources

Chairpersons' Summary
4.20pm

Close of Summit
5.00pm