**Wealth Management: Delivering Expertise in a Taxing World** is the theme for the third annual Nassau Conference, scheduled for February 6, 2007 at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel.

The event, which has attracted nearly 150 delegates in each of its first years, will bring to Nassau a number of top professionals to address a broad range of issues and opportunities facing the jurisdiction and its financial services industry.

**Conference Topics** include:

•Tax Models and their implications to financial centres.

•Tax Models in Europe and their implications to Bahamian structures.

•Wealth Management and The Bahamas and why structures need to continue to evolve to meet changing client needs with a special look at Latin
America.

•Financial Services: Is There Room for Cooperation? Are there lessons to be learned from the region’s tourism industry.

•Structures and Products: How they are changing and how are they being used

•Commodities and Currencies: Why picking the right currency as your reference point could be the most important you make as an advisor.

•Exchange Controls: Are they Good or Bad? What are there implications for capital investment? An examination of exchange control policies in the Region.

•Financial Centres in the Caribbean: A True Picture. What are the strengths, prospects, new developments of financial centres in the Region, especially emerging
centres such as Trinidad/Tobago.

*“We believe the Conference agenda strikes the right balance between technical information and competitive market issues,”* said Jan Mezulanik, Chairman of the Association of International Banks and Trust Companies in The Bahamas (AIBT), the Founding Partner for the Conference. *“As a leading international financial centre it is important for us to not only continually sharpen our technical skills but also to understand the dynamics shaping global markets. We believe the Conference accomplishes this goal and hope our professional community will take advantage of this opportunity.”*

Mr. Mezulanik said a select number of students will have the opportunity to attend the Conference, under the patronage of the event’s sponsors. *”As an industry we recognise that our future and growth and development is very much dependent on attracting more and more young Bahamians to consider careers in the sector,”* he said. *“Our sponsorship packages have been structured in such a way that all of our corporate sponsors will cover the cost of one of or more students to attend the event.”*

Andrew Law, Conference Chairman, said the event’s pricing structure has also been enhanced to encourage companies to send a broader range of staff. *“We have introduced an under-25 registration fee as well as a group rate,”* he said. *“We have also moved to one day event, based on input we received from the first two conferences which, combined with our new registration fees, should make the Conference even more attractive.”*

Current sponsors include Pictet Bank and Trust as the Platinum Sponsor; Ansbacher (Bahamas) Ltd., as a Gold Sponsor; and Lennox Paton and GAM (UK) Limited as Silver sponsors.

The **Conference Steering Committee** includes Conference Chairman Andrew Law from The International Protector Group: Lindsey Cancino, The Kattegat Trust Company; Judith Whitehead, Graham Thompson & Co.; Wendy Warren, Bahamas Financial Services Board; Ian Fair, Butterfield Bank (Bahamas) Limited; Michael Paton, Lennox Paton; and Anastacia Johnson, AIBT.

The AIBT was established in 1976 to represent the International Banks and Trust Companies operating from The Bahamas. The Association is funded by its members and works with them to promote professional standards in the industry and continued success and understanding of the banking sector.