*RIYADH: *Top finance executives and political leaders have converged onSaudi capital Riyadh for a Davos-style investment forum.
US officials and the heads of giant banks, top asset management firms andmajor sovereign wealth funds top the guest list at the three-day FutureInvestment Forum (FII) that starts on Tuesday.
The event is aimed at presenting the kingdom as a dynamic investmentdestination.
Now in its third edition, the summit dubbed “Davos in the desert” waslaunched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to promote his Vision2030 economic diversification plan and attract much-needed foreigninvestment to help wean the OPEC kingpin’s economy off petro-dollars.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro,whose countries are key emerging markets, are set to speak at the summitalong with King Abdullah II of Jordan and four African leaders.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin leads a high-powered Americandelegation that includes Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Jared Kushner,son-in-law and senior advisor to President Donald Trump.
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Kushner will address a special session on the future of the United States.
The CEOs of asset management firms Blackstone and SoftBank, as well aschairs of the sovereign wealth funds of Kuwait, UAE, Singapore and Russiaare also expected to attend.
Top executives from blue chips Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, bothworking on the much-anticipated flotation of state oil behemoth SaudiAramco, are on a long list of global bank representatives at the forum.
Topics to be covered range from the future of the world economy andinvestments to UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as sports,entertainment and space.
