One of the most important finance conferences in the world– 17th International Conference GLOBAL FINANCE CONFERENCE, at which the key-note speaker will be Profesor Robert Mundell, the recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, ‘father’ of Euro, will be held on June 27th-30th,2010 at Poznan University of Economics.

The topic of this year’s prestigous conference is ‘Global Financial Crisis and Future of Capitalism’. The Inaugural Lecture will be delivered by the ‘father’ of free market Professor Leszek Balcerowicz.

Their participation confirmed also:

• Profesor Stanisław Gomułka, Chief Economist of the Business Centre Club, formerly Deputy Finance Minister of the Republic of Poland and doctor honoris causa of the Poznan University of Ecnomics, 
• Profesor Danuta Hubner, Commissioner for Regional Policy of the European Union, doctor honoris causa of the Poznan University of Economics,
• Dr Stanisław Kluza, Chairperson of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority,
• Iwona Sroka, President and CEO of the National Depositary for Securities

At the Honorary Committee sits also prof. dr hab. Marian Gorynia, prof. zw. UEP, Rector of the Poznan Universtiy of Economics.

Previous GFC conferences were held among others in Germany, Turkey, Canada, Australia, USA and China.

More details are to be found at http://glofin.org/conference

About Poznań University of Economics

[Polish version]   [Wersja polska]

Bank Zachodni WBK (BZ WBK) is universal bank offering financial products and services. BZWBK24 e-channels (Internet, telephone) enable personal and business finance management. Bank Zachodni WBK S.A. is one of three largest banks in Poland. It was established in 2001 as a result of the merger of Bank Zachodni S.A. and Wielkopolski Bank Kredytowy S.A. Since May 2007, Mateusz Morawiecki has been the bank’s President.
Since June 2001, Bank Zachodni WBK has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and is one of WIG20 companies.
Bank Zachodni WBK Group comprises brokerage, asset management, leasing and factoring companies, investment funds as well as renders bancassurance services and private banking ones. Apart from Bank Zachodni WBK, the BZWBK Group includes: Dom Maklerski (Brokerage House), Finanse&Leasing, Faktor, Asset Management, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych (TFI) and Aviva BZ WBK.
Over the recent years, the bank has expanded its branch network which in mid-2010 included 607 outlets located nationwide. In terms of network’s size, Bank Zachodni WBK is ranked third in Poland. In mid-2010, the BZ WBK ATM network comprised over 1000 machines.
For several years now Bank Zachodni WBK has supported the development of the Polish football – primarily as a sponsor of the national team. In 2009 the company launched the Young Eagles Academy (Akademia Orlika) – the program aimed at searching for football talents amongst children and to provide them with professional annual training at a football school.
The Bank Zachodni WBK Foundation has operated for over 11 years. Its mission is to invest in the hobbies and talents of children from families in financial difficulties. The Foundation established and runs numerous programs, such as the Bank of Children\'s Smiles grant program and a scholarship program for talented young people.

The capital market tradition in Poland dates back to 1817, when the first Mercantile Exchange was founded in Warsaw. In its present form, the Exchange began operating on 16 April 1991, from the outset organising securities trading in electronic form.
The Exchange is a joint-stock company founded by the State Treasury. The company has share capital of PLN 41,972,000 which is divided into 15,187,200 A serie registered shares and 26,784,800 B serie registered shares. At the end of 2008, its shareholders included 35 entities. These were banks, brokerage firms, an Exchange company and the State Treasury. The State Treasury\'s stake was 98.82%.
The task of the WSE is to organise public trading in securities. The Exchange provides a concentration of buy and sell offers in one place and time in order to designate prices and execute transactions.
The trading system of the Warsaw Stock Exchange is order-driven. This means that to determine the price of a security, a list of sell and buy orders is drawn up in a form of public order book. These orders are matched according to strict rules and transactions are executed during trading sessions. To improve the liquidity of trading brokerage firms can fulfil the function of market animator by placing buy and sell orders on the public order book (pursuant to an appropriate agreement with the Exchange).
The following instruments are traded on the Warsaw Exchange: shares, bonds, subscription rights, allotment certificates, investment certificates, and derivative instruments: futures, options and index participation units.
The Warsaw Stock Exchange operates trading in financial instruments on two markets:
- The WSE Main List operates since the WSE began trading on 16 April 1991. The market is supervised by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority and notified to the European Commission as a regulated market.
- NewConnect is a market organised and operated by the WSE as an alternative trading system. It was established for young growing companies, particularly in the high-tech sector.
NewConnect was launched on 30 August 2007. Trading in the alternative system may include shares, allotment certificates, subscription rights, depository receipts, and other equities.
The WSE is currently pursuing a growth strategy aimed at strengthening the attractiveness and competitiveness of the Polish market and creating a Central and Eastern European financial centre in Warsaw.
The WSE is now an important European capital market and a CEE leader, leveraging the growth potential of the Polish economy and the dynamic rise of the Polish capital market.

The National Depository for Securities (KDPW) is the central institution responsible for the management and supervision of the depository-settlement system in relation to trading in financial instruments in Poland. Trading is based on the highest global standards including full securities dematerialisation.
The Polish central securities depository was created in 1991 as a department of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. On 7 November 1994, this department was removed from the organisational structure of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and since then, KDPW has been functioning as a separate and independent joint stock company, with the State Treasury, as represented by the Minister of the State Treasury, the Warsaw Stock Exchange and the National Bank of Poland each holding 1/3 of shares.
In December 2009,The National Depository for Securities (KDPW) has approved a new corporate Strategy 2010-2013. The key task of the Management Board is to prepare KDPW for increased foreign competition and market consolidation. The Strategy is aimed at building the regional position and competitiveness of KDPW. It is a proactive growth strategy.
The document was developed based on an in-depth analysis of the main trends in international financial markets, the experience and competences of the KDPW Management Board and managers. The Strategy was broadly consulted with the Polish capital market community.
The Strategy presents a new approach to the challenges faced by KDPW, focuses on active development of the Company\'s position in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, and provides for the launch of modern services responding to the needs of local and international markets.

The principle responsibilities of the National Depository for Securities include:

• The clearing and settlement of transactions executed in the public securities market
• The registration and safekeeping of dematerialised financial instruments
• Monitoring the size of the securities issue actually in trading
• The processing of corporate actions
• The management of the Settlement Guarantee Fund, made up from participants’ contributions. The separate parts of the Settlement Guarantee Fund include:
• The Guarantee Fund for the Settlement of Stock Exchange Transactions
• The Guarantee Fund for the Settlement of CeTO Market Transactions
• The Guarantee Fund for the Settlement of Stock Exchange Futures Transactions
• The management of the compulsory Investor Compensation Scheme
• Duties relating to the social security system

The Bank Guarantee Fund is one of the most important institutions that stabilize the banking system in Poland. It performs duties stipulated in the Act on the Bank Guarantee Fund of 14 December 1994.
One of the basic tasks of the Bank Guarantee Fund is to ensure the efficient functioning of a scheme that manages the deposits entrusted to banks by their customers. Participation in the Polish deposit guarantee scheme is obligatory for all commercial and cooperative banks. The scheme ensures payment of the guaranteed funds up to the amount determined by law, which is currently the equivalent of EUR 50 000 (it will amount to the equivalent of EUR 100 000 as of January 1st 2011).
The scope of tasks performed by the Fund includes the assistance activity that consists of granting financial assistance to banks. It is oriented towards supporting consolidation and restructuring processes in the banking sector. The Bank Guarantee Fund also provides loans intended for cooperative banks’ investments that serve the increase of their operations’ safety as well as the improvement of the conditions of the customer service infrastructure and the expenditures related to the purchase of the shares of associate banks. The financial resources come from the cooperative banks restructuring fund.
Another area of tasks performed by the Fund is its analytical activity. It is carried out with the use of the data concerning the totality of the banking sector and individual banks. Its main objective is to identify potential dangers in the banking sector early enough to prevent the insolvency of the banks and therefore the payments of the guaranteed deposits.
The Fund is also engaged in propagating the knowledge of the deposit guarantee principles as well as of the activity of the Bank Guarantee Fund. Such knowledge reaches not only the banks’ employees but also their customers.
The Bank Guarantee Fund is active internationally, engaging and developing cooperation with deposit guarantee institutions and their associates throughout Europe and the world. The Fund is a member of a forum for international consultations and therefore actively exchanges information with international deposit guarantee institutions.

Veolia Environnement is the world leader in environmental services.
With operations on every continent and more than 312,590 employees, we provide customized solutions to meet the needs of municipal and industrial customers in four complementary segments: water, environmental services, energy services and passenger transportation. Veolia Environnement recorded revenue of 34.6 billion euros in 2009.

Dalkia is the energy division of Veolia Environnement, a global specialist in environmental services. We\'re also a preferred partner of our other shareholder, French utility Electricité de France (EDF), which has a 34% stake.
We are the leading provider of energy services for local authorities, public institutions, industry and businesses.

An international investment company. Strategic industries: oil & gas, mineral resources, infrastructure, as well as power generation, distribution and trading. The company also holds assets in real estate, brewing, automotive and the chemical industries. Headquarters: Luxembourg; Offices: Warsaw, London, Kyiv, Dubai.

HLB Sarnowski & Wisniewski main focus is on building partnerships on which our effective and profitable business relationships are based. HLB Sarnowski & Wisniewski Sp. z o.o. is a well-established firm of auditors and business advisers. In addition to classic attest services, such as audits and reviews of financial statements, the firm specialises in:
• tax consulting,
• transfer pricing management consulting,
• capital transactions advice,
• advice and assistance to entities preparing to go public on the Warsaw Stock Exchange,
• IT in accounting,
• investigative audits and expert opinions for court proceedings (both civil and criminal).
Read more: www.hlb-sw.pl

The open lecture of the key-note speaker of 17th International Conference GLOBAL FINANCE CONFERENCE - Profesor Robert Mundell (June 30th, 2010, 13.15PM, Aula UAM) is held as part of the “Academic Poznań” Programme, carrying out by the City of Poznań.
Striving to:

• strengthening the image of Poznan as a strong academic centre and a student-friendly city,
• improving the quality of education,
• strengthening the participation of academics in solving city development problems,
• strengthening the innovativeness of the Poznan economy and developing creative sectors
  

Poznań City Hall strongly supports the academic society through various initiatives, including:

• co-financing lectures by distinguished scholars, artists and specialists from all over the world,
• supporting new and unique fields of academic education,
• scholarships for students, young authors and researchers,
• The ‘City of Poznan outstanding M.A. or PhD dissertation prize’,
• placements in City Hall,
• the ‘Co-financing research and development’ competition,
• supporting innovative projects (Wielkopolska Innovative Platform, Wielkopolska ICT Cluster, Poznan Technological and Industrial Park).

www.poznan.pl  

Wielkopolska is a modern, competitive and innovative region. It boasts a strong economy, based on a well-developed SMEs sector and supported by knowledge and modern technology. Good and friendly investment environment, developing communication infrastructure, advantageous geographic location and the experience drawn from many years of cooperation with our foreign partners – theses all add to the fact, that Wielkopolska is seen in Europe as an attractive and interesting place for investors. For years, international concerns and companies from the financial institutions and business environment networks have had their offices in the region. We are one of the Poland’s leaders in terms of the economy.

The Best Location for Your Investment
Poznań District comprises 17 well economically developed communes whose activities and first-rate organisation has often been noted and appreciated. The region, located in the centre of Western Poland, around Poznań (a potent business centre and the capital of Wielkopolska) has, for many years, been attracting global corporations and the representatives of the SME sector. Communes surrounding Poznań are: Buk, Czerwonak, Dopiewo, Kleszczewo, Komorniki, Kostrzyn, Kórnik, Luboń, Mosina, Murowana Goślina, Pobiedziska, Puszczykowo, Rokietnica, Stęszew, Suchy Las, Swarzędz and Tarnowo Podgórne. Poznań District is one of the biggest in the country and the biggest district in Wielkopolska Region. It covers and area of nearly 1900 km2.
The region is also a crossing point for major Polish transportation routes. Reaching the District is easy due to its excellent location by the A2 Motorway which connects Berlin and Warsaw, its numerous express roads, an extensive grid of local roads and railway lines (including a container terminal in Gądki) as well as the proximity of an international airport in Poznań. The district is located in direct neighbourhood of Poznań, the region\'s capital and an important trade, cultural and educational centre of Poland, which makes it the more interesting as an investment spot for entrepreneurs.
Favorable location of district in terms of transportation, well developed road infrastructure and numerous warehouses create an excellent logistics base. Among other incentives for investments in the district are close proximity to highly absorptive markets, business-friendly climate and wise, pro-investment local government policy. The number of business entities and communes\' per capita internal revenues are among the highest in the country.
The communes, inhabited by over 318,000 people, offer a variety of interesting investment sites for practically all types of business: from commerce and tourism, through housing to industrial developments. The other assets of the region include the tax exemptions offered to investors by local authorities plus the highly qualified human resources.

The PGNiG Group is the leader of the Polish natural gas market. Formation of the Group\'s enabled coordination of the upstream and downstream operations - from exploration and production to storage to trade and distribution of gaseous fuels. The roots of the companies forming PGNiG date back to 19th century - to the beginnings of Polish and world oil industry. The company has been operating under the name PGNiG since 1982.
The core business of the PGNiG Group includes trade and distribution of natural gas. On September 2005, PGNiG floated its shares on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, in the largest public offering in 2005.
PGNiG and companies in PGNiG Capital Group are responsible for:
* gas and crude oil production,
* gas and crude oil fields development in Poland and abroad,
* geological, geophysical and exploration services in Poland and abroad,
* gas import to Poland,
* storage of gas in underground gas storage facilities,
* distribution of gas fuel.