Under the Patronage of H.H Prime Minister

Great Singaporean Leader: Lee Kuan Yew Keynote Speaker at NBK Symposium on the 18th of November.

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) is organizing a symposium on "Leveraging the GCC Boom: A View Towards ASIA' to be held in Kuwait on the 18th of November 2006. The symposium aims to highlight the opportunities available for the GCC to use the surpluses generated by the current boom wisely to tackle challenges that have held back growth in the past, and invest for the future. It will focus on Asia, past, present and future, to draw lessons from its transformation and development, and gain a better understanding of how the global landscape is changing.

The symposium will be held under the patronage of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AL-Ahmad Al-Sabah. We are also happy to announce that the Minister Mentor Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore, will give the keynote speech on the Singapore story and its ascendancy from third world to first.

Commenting on this important event, Chairman of NBK's  Board of Directors, Mr. Mohamed Abdul Rahman Al-Baher said " Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, who is visiting the state of Kuwait for the first time at the invitation of NBK currently advises the Government of Singapore in his capacity as Minister Mentor after spending over thirty years as the first Prime Minister  in an indication that he is an indispensable leader"

"NBK's interest in hosting this prominent figure is mainly due to the distinguished and historic position he enjoys as well as the valuable lessons to be learnt by many countries in the Arab world and worldwide from the bright example of Singapore.", added Al-Baher.

Thanks to the wise and prudential policies of Mr. Kuan, Singapore had become one of the major financial markets that comprises more than 700 foreign companies (institutions), 60 foreign banks in addition to a flourishing stock market that absorb US$ 60 billion – worth currency exchange transactions.

A major testimony of Mr. Lee's extraordinary leadership is that he succeeded during his 30 years tenure as a prime Minister in pushing Singapore per capita share of the GDP from below US$ 400 per annum at the time of assuming power to approximately US$ 22.000 per annum.