Introduction - They have built it - you should come

Dear Friend,

Some opportunities in life are so perfect that you just can't pass them up. They stare you in the face and challenge you to action.

The Middle East is currently one such opportunity the international commerce cannot pass up. Youthful and growing populations are driving a pressing need for economic expansion and diversification. Vast, but finite, natural resources and a need to open up to an interconnected and interdependent world are providing unrivalled trading opportunities for multinational companies that have the expertise the region requires.

And let's be clear here - this is not about a transfer of capital - the region has no shortage of that - it is all about a transfer of knowledge and expertise. Those that bring the best know-how to the table will carry off the biggest rewards - and know-how and hard earned intellectual capital is something the reinsurance word has in abundance. After all, we have spent the last 300 years collectively learning from our many financial mistakes.

The region is open and readily welcoming us to come with great hospitality. Financial centres have been constructed for our convenience, based on the best practice of jurisdictions worldwide. The infrastructure is brand new - and the labour force is young and willing to learn. What's not to like?

Make sure you don't look back from your retirement and find yourself asking yourself this question - where were you when the 21st century Middle Eastern industrial revolution was playing itself out?

Join in. They have built it, and we should come and check it out.

Mark Geoghegan, Editor

In association with Qatar Financial Centre

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) is a financial and business centre established by the Government of Qatar and located in Doha. It has been designed to attract international financial services institutions and major multinational corporations and to encourage participation in the growing market for financial services in Qatar and elsewhere in the region. The QFC will operate to international standards and provide a first class legal and business infrastructure for those operating within the QFC. The QFC was created by Qatar Law and has been open for business since 1 May 2005.