Manama, Bahrain, 26 November 2007: Kuwait Finance House - Bahrain (KFH-Bahrain), announced that it is participating as a main sponsor for the 1st Gulf e-Commerce Forum, which is being held at the Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel, Bahrain, and is organised by Gulf Knowledge Economy. The Gulf e-Commerce Forum is an international forum for business and researchers to exchange information regarding advancements in the state-of-the-art practice of e-commerce. The objective of the forum is to establish Bahrain as the centre of choice for e-commerce in the Middle East by nurturing successful partnerships and fostering infrastructure development to serve citizens and the business community alike. As part of the agenda, the forum will discuss the major challenges for the GCC in terms of e-commerce, which include lack of efficient credit policy and management, inadequate telecommunications infrastructure, lack of credit information and legal framework. Commenting on this sponsorship Mr. Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat General Manager of KFH-Bahrain, said "Information and Communication Technologies are powerful enablers of development. They contribute highly towards promoting foreign investments that help capture economic opportunities by increasing process efficiency as well as encouraging participation in expanded economic networks and creating opportunities for employment." "We need to realise that governments and business sectors should work hand in hand to ensure the necessary enabling environment is in place for greater investments in the ICT sector. This will help foster entrepreneurship and stimulate further innovation. Together, these sectors can play a larger role as innovators, investors and job creators. This initiative will address various issues that hinder the spread of information technologies, with the aim of creating the right environment for a digitally-enabled economy," Mr. Alkhayyat added. The Conference will be divided into four sessions, each presided by a senior industry figure. Various topics will be discussed, including: Introduction to e-Commerce, e-Commerce in the Gulf, e-Procurement and e-Commerce opportunities. Bahrain is on the way to becoming an e-Commerce hub through concerted efforts being made by the business sector and the government. Dr. Jamal Al Duaij, chairman of the forum welcomed KFH-Bahrain's initiative to sponsor the forum, and said, "We would like to thank KFH-Bahrain for supporting the 'First Gulf eCommerce Forum. The forum will help us discuss the path to a better developed e-commerce sector in the Gulf through learning from global experience."