Karachi: Citibank N.A., Pakistan (“Citi Pakistan”) recently held its globally acclaimed Planet Game and Treasury & Trade Solutions (“TTS”) Seminar in Karachi. The two day event featured an overview of the future of Cash Management and Trade in the region, and allowed participants to compete in a Money Markets and Foreign Exchange simulation game.
Senior Citi members, who flew in from around the globe, attended the seminar to talk about banking trends and the recent evolution of the financial market. The audience was comprised of representatives from 30 corporations, including both multinationals and top tier local corporations.
Nadeem Lodhi, Managing Director and Citi Country Officer – Pakistan, welcomed the participants, stating, “Citi continues to focus on promoting Thought Leadership in Pakistan by playing a role in developing the skill set and knowledge base of Pakistan’s corporate sector. By leveraging our international presence, Citi is in the unique position of providing the local professional community with access to global trends and insights.”
The first day featured a Q&A session on the current state of Pakistan’s economy with acclaimed economist and Chief Executive of Arif Habib Consultancy, Nasim Beg. The interactive session, which entertained questions from representatives across corporate industries, was moderated by financial journalist Shahzad Mithani.
This was followed by a series of talks by Citi seniors, who gave a detailed perspective on the growth of the financial market in Pakistan. David Aldred, Citi’s TTS Sales Head for Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan (“MENAP”)_and Turkey, and Jagadeshwaran Kothandapani - TTS Cash Head for MENAP, spoke on evolving client trends and priorities in 2015. Faraz Haider, TTS Trade Head - Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”), and Yusuf Ali Khan, TTS Trade Head MENA, spoke on key themes impacting trade globally. Emre Karter, TTS Cluster Head for MENA and Turkey wrapped up the TTS portion.
Citi’s acclaimed Planet Game kicked off on the second day with an intensive introduction to Money Markets, Foreign Exchange (“FX”), FX Options, Interest Rate and Commodity Derivatives, which utilizes a digital simulation allowing trainees to act as the financial heads on the trading floor of a hypothetical organization. The aim of the Planet Game is to provide training to local treasury, finance and investment officers from corporate and government entities in Pakistan in an interactive, competitive environment.
Manish Bhatia, Citi’s Regional Head of FX Sales for Middle East & Pakistan alongside Pakistan Corporate Sales and Derivatives Marketing (“CSDM”) Head, Tariq Ahmed Khan and Senior CSDM Trader, Sarah Siddiqui, began the day with an informative overview, covering main money market and foreign exchange topics, including the structure of rates, FX swaps and interbank dealing. The trainees were split into teams of four, with representatives from various corporations on each team and spent the day making decisions on hedging and options to exercise, to earn the highest revenue for their assigned company.
The event concluded with awards being handed out to the winning team, which consisted of representatives of Toyota Indus Motor Company Ltd.
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