The second of edition of the ArabNet Kuwait Conference starts today under the patronage of HE Khaled Nasser Abdullah Al-Roudan, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Youth Affairs. The two-day event welcomes 600 attendees and over 70 speakers from all over the world at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Kuwait city, with Gulf Bank being the gold sponsor of this year’s conference.
Some of the prominent speakers include Ian Manning, Regional Head of Agencies — MENA and Pakistan at Facebook and Instagram, Nathan Hull Chief Commercial and Content Officer at Bookchoice and Neil Hardwick CEO of MEC MENA. Waleed AlBallaa Partner at STVentures, Omar Almajdouie, Founding Partner at Raed Ventures and Rashid Sultan Founder and Managing Partner at Savour Ventures will also take part in the event.
The Assistant General Manager of the Gulf Bank, Laila Al-Qatami commented the last year’s edition of the conference was a huge success and made an impact on the local business environment. She claimed it was part of the bank policy to encourage entrepreneurship among Kuwaiti youth. Her colleague, Meshari Shehab, the Assistant General Manager for Priority and Wealth Management, will represent the bank as a judge during the Startup Battle. In addition to that, many experts from the Gulf Bank will be available to answer all the queries young entrepreneurs may have regarding funding and business development.
On Wednesday, the bank will present its first customized digital investment platform called WISE. It offers tailor-made investment scenarios depending on the risk appetite of the investor and his goals.
2017 has been a successful year for the Kuwaiti entrepreneurs. The recent acquisitions of Carriage and Masbagti have made it to the international press. In addition to that, according to the latest statistics, the social media in Kuwait is among the highest in the world, at 96%. The country takes the first place in the MENA region on Snapchat and Instagram. Moreover, the digital commerce is also flourishing in the nation with KNET processing over US$ 1.6 billion in online transactions in 2016.