The WFE General Assembly & Annual Meeting
The General Assembly is the ultimate decision-making body of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), responsible for approving policies, including admission and suspension of membership, annual budgets, and election of WFE officers. CEOs and other representatives of member exchanges worldwide attend the annual General Assembly.
The Annual Meeting is an invitation-only event, where leaders of global exchanges, regulatory authorities, industry experts from academia and the media gather together for in-depth discussion on major issues surrounding the exchange industry.
Since its foundation, the WFE has organised committees, meetings, general assemblies, conferences, and workshops for its members to transfer knowledge and share expertise. As an industry trade organisation, the WFE has discussed virtually every aspect of the capital market: the technical, the commercial, the legal and the economic. In the past four decades we have published studies and reports on issues such as CCP recovery & resolution, business continuity, self-regulation, cross border trading, HFT, sustainability, SMEs and cyber security.
About The WFE
The WFE is the global industry group for exchanges and clearing houses (CCPs) around the world. We represent over 250 market-infrastructures ranging from those that operate the largest financial centres to those that run frontier markets.
Established in 1961, the WFE is the global industry association for exchanges and clearing houses. Headquartered in London, it represents over 250 market infrastructure providers, including standalone CCPs that are not part of exchange groups. Of our members, 36% are in Asia-Pacific, 43% in EMEA and 21% in the Americas. WFE’s 87 member CCPs and clearing services collectively ensure that risk takers post some $1.3 trillion (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. The exchanges covered by WFE data are home to over 55,000 listed companies, and the market capitalization of these entities is over $111 trillion; around $124 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through WFE members (at end 2023).
The WFE is the definitive source for exchange-traded statistics and publishes over 350 market data indicators. Its free statistics database stretches back more than 40 years and provides information and insight into developments on global exchanges. The WFE works with standard-setters, policy makers, regulators and government organisations around the world to support and promote the development of fair, transparent, stable and efficient markets. The WFE shares regulatory authorities’ goals of ensuring the safety and soundness of the global financial system.
With extensive experience of developing and enforcing high standards of conduct, the WFE and its members support an orderly, secure, fair and transparent environment for investors; for companies that raise capital; and for all who deal with financial risk. We seek outcomes that maximise the common good, consumer confidence and economic growth. And we engage with policy makers and regulators in an open, collaborative way, reflecting the central, public role that exchanges and CCPs play in a globally integrated financial system.
About Bursa Malaysia
Bursa Malaysia is an Exchange holding company incorporated in 1976 and listed in 2005. It has grown to be one of the largest bourses in ASEAN. Today, Bursa Malaysia operates and regulates a multi-asset exchange, offering a comprehensive range of investment, capital raising, and exchange-related facilities. Bursa Malaysia is committed to its mission of Creating Opportunities, Growing Value for the Malaysian capital market, economy, and society. Learn more at www.bursamalaysia.com.
Speakers
YB Senator Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan
Finance Minister II, Ministry of Finance
Amir Hamzah Azizan was appointed as the Finance Minister II effective 11 December 2023. Prior to assuming the role of Finance Minister II, he had helmed the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) as Chief Executive Officer since March 2021.
With a corporate experience spanning more than 27 years, Amir Hamzah began his career with a decade-long tenure at the Shell Group of Companies. During this period, he held diverse roles in Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Subsequently, he joined MISC Berhad in 2000 and held several senior management portfolios before being appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer in January 2009.
Following his tenure at MISC Berhad, Amir Hamzah took on the role of Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad in June 2010. In August 2012, Amir Hamzah joined PETRONAS Lubricants International as Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, concurrently serving as the Vice-President for Downstream Marketing, and subsequently as Vice-President of Lubricants for the PETRONAS Group.
In March 2016, Amir Hamzah joined Ekuiti Nasional Berhad (Ekuinas) to steer its investee company Icon Offshore Berhad as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Subsequently, he took on the role of Group Chief Executive Officer at Themed Attractions Resorts and Hotel Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad. In April 2019, he further showcased his versatility across industries by taking on the role of President/Chief Executive Officer at Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
Amir Hamzah has also contributed to various organisations in non-executive capacities. He formerly served as the Non-Executive Chairman of Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) and held directorial positions on the boards of Sime Darby Plantation Berhad and Sime Darby Oils International Limited.
Amir Hamzah holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management (majoring in Finance and Economics) from Syracuse University, New York. He has also attended the Stanford Executive Programme at Stanford University, and the Corporate Finance Evening Programme at London Business School.
Nandini Sukumar
Chief Executive Officer, The World Federation of Exchanges
Nandini Sukumar is the Chief Executive Officer of the World Federation of Exchanges, the global association for exchanges and CCPs. The WFE represents more than 250 exchanges and clearing houses globally, educating stakeholders on the vital role played by market infrastructures in the real economy and as a standard setter, finding the consensus on issues among the global membership. Of its members, 35% are in Asia-Pacific, 45% in EMEA and 20% in the Americas. WFE exchanges are home to 47,919 listed companies, and the market capitalisation of these entities is over $109 trillion; around $137 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through WFE members (at end 2020). WFE’s 57 member CCPs collectively ensure that risk takers post some $800bn (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. Ms. Sukumar is Vice Chair of IOSCO’s Affiliate Members Consultative Committee and Chair of the AMCC’s Sustainability Taskforce.
Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift
Chief Executive Officer, Bursa Malaysia
Muhamad Umar Swift is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, a position he has held since 2019. He serves as the director of all subsidiary companies within the Bursa Malaysia Group and is the Chairman of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad and Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Clearing Berhad, Bursa Malaysia RAM Capital Sdn Bhd and Yayasan Bursa Malaysia. He is also the Chairman of the CEO Action Network (CAN).
As CEO of the Exchange, Umar aspires to play a catalytic role in the economy’s transition to green, as expressed in the Exchange’s vision to become “ASEAN’s leading, sustainable and globally-connected marketplace.” His approach to achieving this is underscored in the Exchange’s mission which is to create opportunities, grow value for stakeholders participating in the ecosystem while improving investability for issuers and investors.
Umar has more than 25 years of leadership experience across multiple industries. Prior to joining the Exchange, he was the CEO/ Group Managing Director of MAA Group Berhad.
Umar currently serves on the Boards of Securities Industry Development Corporation, Capital Development Market Fund and Malaysia Forest Fund. He is also the advisor for the UN Global Compact Network Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Councillor of the Overseas Regional Council of Malaysia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. Besides being a Chartered Accountant with the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, he also holds various fellowships and qualifications in accounting and finance, including Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and CPA Australia, to name a few.