Dubai Week

Agenda: 

17 May: 4 pm - 5 pm GST
Cyber Security, Data Privacy and Sanctions Developments: 
Bracewell's Seth DuCharme and Lucy Porter provided an update and overview of how the landscape has changed over recent months and how you can mitigate new risks in each area.

18 May: 2 pm - 4:30 pm GST
New Energy Opportunities – Capitalising on New Energy Opportunities in the Middle East:
The energy transition will need to harness an array of new technologies with solar PV, hydrogen and storage all playing a critical role. These three industries each have their own merits and challenges. But the common thread, the drive to slash carbon emissions, means they will continue to attract substantial capital and create significant opportunities for the global supply chain. The International energy industry can learn from the rapid development of these technologies in the region. Bracewell’s Clint Steyn, Oliver Irwin, Ronen Lazarovitch, and Andrej Kormuth, along with Alcazar Energy’s co-founder Daniel Calderon and AFRY’s Head of Management Consulting for the Middle East Brendan Cronin discussed how solar PV, hydrogen and storage are shaping the new energy mix, and how to capitalise on the opportunities this transition presents.

Co-sponsored with Energy Voice. For more information you may also visit NEO 2.0.

19 May: 10 am - 11 am GST
Managing the LIBOR Transition in GCC Islamic Financings: 
This webinar considered how the backward-looking nature of SOFR is potentially problematic in the context of Islamic financings and recent approaches in the Islamic finance market to address this issue in a sharīʿa compliant manner. Our distinguished panel included Bracewell's Oliver Irwin and Shayan Najib, Aljomaih Energy and Water Company’s Director, Project Finance, Ganesa Kumar and Adib's Project Finance Director, Edmundo Lujan.

19 May: 4 pm - 5:15 pm GST
How to Make Informed Performance Bond and International Arbitration Decisions in Dubai and Saudi: 
Bracewell’s Martin Gusy, Robert Meade and Tom Swarbrick together with SCCA’s General Counsel and Chief of ADR, Christian Alberti and DIAC’s Acting Registrar, Olena Voronovych, addressed performance bonds and international arbitration decisions. This webinar combined a construction and infrastructure industry focus with recent international arbitration developments in Dubai and Saudi. The panel focused on transactional considerations and the procedure for enforcement of performance bonds before looking into how calling a bond can be used strategically in a wider disputes context.

The panelists then analyzed impacts of aggressive, yet progressive Decree No. 34 of 2021 and offered perspective on its consequences for international arbitration in Dubai.  We heard from DIAC about how to become the principal arbitral provider in the Emirate.

Expanding from there into Saudi Arabia’s promotion of international arbitration was also coupled with an update on the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) and regulatory changes benefiting international arbitration users in the region.