With the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the United States of America, the European Union, and a number of other Western countries imposed wide and severe sanctions on Russia, covering a wide range of economic, financial, banking, and commercial sectors. These sanctions are increasing day by day and at a great pace, the most important of which is the decision to separate Russia from the SWIFT bank transfer system and to prevent Russian banks from dealing with this system. While this decision will have significant repercussions on the Russian financial system, it will also lead to negative repercussions on the global financial system. On the other hand, the war erupting on Ukrainian lands may lead to a complete halt to its exports, the most important of which are exports of grain and oils. In parallel, the sanctions of Western countries against Russia may prevent it from exporting its agricultural production, which will exacerbate the repercussions of the crisis on food security in many countries, especially the Arab countries.
While this crisis poses a threat to the Arab region in terms of food security, it may lead to the emergence of many opportunities for Arab countries, including the rise in oil revenues for oil-producing countries, which is positively reflected in other countries in many areas and channels, such as direct investments and expatriate remittances, and the possibility of transferring money from Russia due to sanctions to the Arab region, as well as the serious endeavor to enhance Arab food sufficiency by investing in the agricultural sector among Arab countries.
In light of all this, the Union of Arab Banks seeks to hold its annual banking conference entitled “The Repercussions of the International Crisis and Its Impact on the Conditions in the Arab Region”, in Cairo – the Arab Republic of Egypt, to present the multiple challenges and risks that pressure the prospects for global and Arab economic recovery, and the challenges facing the Arab region in light of the new geopolitical crisis, and how to transform these challenges into opportunities by setting appropriate policies and procedures to contain them and reduce their repercussions on economic growth and sustainable development in the Arab region.
Topics of Discussion
• The impact of the crisis on Arab food security
– Scenarios of interruption of wheat, corn, and grain imports from Russia and Ukraine to the Arab countries and the available alternatives in the short and medium run
– Investing in agricultural projects among Arab countries to achieve self-Arab food security
• The rise in global oil and gas prices and the alternatives
– What are the benefits of the Arab oil-exporting countries from increasing prices
– Achieving balance in global oil markets by increasing the exports of Arab countries
– Investments opportunities for the Arab banking sector in alternative energy
• The interaction of Arab financial markets with the crisis and the prospects for remittances
– Transferring global investments and deposits to Arab markets and banks
– Repercussion of the crisis on capital markets & stock exchange
– Potential increase in inflation & rising interest rates
• JW Marriott Hotel CairoJW Marriott Hotel CairoRisks facing global economic growth in light of the international geopolitical crisis
– The emergence of new economic and financial alliances and blocs
– The decline in global economic growth as a result of the crisis
– Effects of the crisis on poor and highly indebted countries
