CRF Qatar 2024
Conference Agenda

Please refer to the listing below for the most recent agenda and details. The agenda is subject to frequent updates.

Conference Agenda
Nov 3 Nov 4 Nov 5 Nov 6 Nov 7

Sunday, November 3 – Thursday, November 7

Sunday, November 3 (Day 0)
19.00 – 22.00 Pre-conference reception and registration at Marsa Katara
Monday, November 4 (Day 1)
Highlights of the Day: Opening Ceremony, Host Country Updates
Theme of the Day: Future Registries
08.30 – 09.30 Registration and Networking (60 mins)
08.30 – 09.15 CRF Presidential Roundtable with Partner Associations (invite only)
09.30 – 11.00 Inauguration Ceremony (90 mins)
 
  • Welcome Speech by Conference Director
  • Inaugural Address
  • Presidential Address by CRF President
  • Address by CEO of QFC Authority
  • Address by other dignitaries
  • Member Roll Call by General Secretary
11.00 – 11.20 Coffee Break (20 mins)
11.20 – 11.50 Conference Session 1 (30 mins)
 
  • Updates from Qatar
11.50 – 12.30 Conference Session 2 (Panel Discussion - 40 mins)
 

Business registers as service providers: leveraging registry data

  • Organizational digital identity
  • Added value dashboards
  • APIs for mass consumption
  • What the public can do with registry data

Moderator: La Donna John, Belize (Moderator)
Speakers:

  • Charlie Boundy, UK Companies House
  • Marco Vianello, InfoCamere Italy
  • Johanna Konrad, Moody’s
12.30 – 13.50 Group Photo Session and Lunch Break (80 mins)
13.50 – 14.20 Conference Session 3 (30 mins)
 
  • Role of Legal Entity Identifiers
  • Bringing sustainability reporting costs to an acceptable level for SMEs

Moderator: Chin Li Fen, ACRA Singapore
Speakers:

  • Ricco Dun, GLEIF
  • Chris Taggart, Open Corporates
14.20 – 14.30 Sponsor slot (10 mins)
14.30 – 15.10 Conference Session 4 (Panel Discussion - 40 mins)
 

Future of registries, challenges and priorities.

  • Digitisation and AI
  • Building Capabilities for Future of registry
  • How registries can use data to improve their services

Moderator: Tuifa’asisina Sieni Tualega- Voorwinden, Samoa International Finance Authority (SIFA)
Speakers:

  • Charlie Boundy, UK Companies House
  • Chin Li Fen, ACRA, Singapore
15.10 – 15.30 Coffee Break (20 mins)
15.30 – 15.50 Conference Session 5 (Presentation - 20 mins)
 

Regulation of Company Service Providers

Presenter: Wren Wu, Hong Kong China
15.50 – 16.10 Conference Session 6 (Presentation - 20 mins)
 

Registry Updates: Turkiye

Presenter: Dr. Recep Bozer, Turkiye
  END OF DAY 1 of the CONFERENCE
19.00 – 22.00 Cultural Gala Dinner at Sharq Village resort
Tuesday, November 5 (Day 2)
Highlights of the Day: Half day conference, half day social outing
Theme of the Day: Role of Registries in tackling economic crimes and enabling sustainable growth
08.40 – 09.00 Networking (20 mins)
09.00 – 09.10 Recap of the previous day (10 mins)
  Martin Fidler Jones, CRF General Secretary
09.10 – 09.50 Conference Session 7 (Discussion - 40 mins)
  Strategic intelligence assessment and compliance framework, at Companies House, UK
 

Moderator: La Donna John, Belize

Speaker: Martin Swain, UK Companies House
09.50 – 10.00 Sponsor slot (10 mins)
10.00 – 10.20 Coffee Break (20 mins)
10.20 – 11.50 Conference Session 8 (90 mins)
 

Regional enforcement challenges, monitoring, enforcement, and effective penalty regimes (50 mins)

Moderator: Bolen Ng, New Zealand Companies Office

 

Regional Sessions in separate rooms for:

  • Africa and Middle East 

    Regional Rapporteur: Monaheng Monaheng, Lesotho

  • Europe 

    Regional Rapporteur: - Celia Johnson, North Rhine Westphalia

  • Asia and Pacific 

    Regional Rapporteur: Chin Li Fen, ACRA, Singapore

     

Global Discussion (40 mins)

  • Regional reflections
  • Validity of data
  • Discrepancy reporting and whistleblowing

Speakers:

  • Martin Swain, UK Companies House
  • Charlie Boundy, UK Companies House
11.50 – 12.00 Sponsor slot (10 mins)
12.00 – 12.20 Conference Session 9 (30 mins)
 

UNCITRAL Legislative Guide on Key Principles of a Business Registry

Presenter: Monica Canafoglia, UNCITRAL
12.20 – 13.20 Lunch Break (60 mins)
13.20 – 18.00 Social Outing
  Half day sightseeing tour of Doha (OR) Desert Safari
  END OF DAY 2 of the CONFERENCE
Wednesday, November 6 (Day 3)
Highlights of the Day: A full day of the conference dedicated for Beneficial Ownership and related topics. Overseen by CRF’s Global Beneficial Ownership Working Group
Theme of the Day: Beneficial Ownership - Empowering Beneficial Ownership Globally
08.40 – 09.00 Networking (20 mins)
09.00 – 09.10 Recap of the previous day (10 mins)
  Martin Fidler Jones, CRF General Secretary
09.10 – 09.30 Opening of the Working Group (20 mins)
 
  • Speech by Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas

Plans for the future

Speakers:

  • Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas, Malta (online)
  • Martin Fidler Jones, CRF General Secretary
09.30 – 09.40 Sponsor slot (10 mins)
09.40 – 10.40 Conference Session 10 (Panel Discussion - 60 mins)
 
  • Empowering Beneficial Ownership Globally
 

Moderator: Martin Fidler Jones, CRF General Secretary

Speakers:

  • Stephen Abbott Pugh, Head of Technology, Open Ownership, Belgium
  • Karla Aman, National Council of Registrars of Commercial Courts Information, France
  • Ramandeep Chhina, Director (AML/CFT), FLE Compliance, USA (online)
10.40 – 11.00 Coffee break (20 mins)
11.00 – 12.00 Conference Session 11 (60 mins)
 

AML Legal framework across the globe

Moderator: Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas, Malta (online)

Speakers:

  • Ulf Krause, Bundesanzeiger
  • Adel Chouari, Tunisia
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch break (50 mins)
13.00 – 14.20 Conference Session 12 (80 mins)
 

Global beneficial ownership insights

Moderator: Nor Azimah Abdul Aziz, SSM, Malaysia

Speakers:

  • Chia-Tern Huey Min, ACRA, Singapore
  • Khairani Yusof, SSM, Malaysia
  • Claude Haylock, Belize
14.20 – 14.40 Coffee break (20 mins)
14.40 – 16.10 Conference Session 13 (90 mins)
 

Navigating International Regulatory Frameworks: Perspectives and Experiences in Collaboration with FATF, MONEYVAL, and beyond.

Moderator: Martin Fidler Jones, CRF General Secretary

Speakers:

  • Stephen Webster, UK Government
  • Alexandre Taymans, EU AML/CFT Global Facility (online)
  • Chia-Tern Huey Min, ACRA, Singapore
16.10 – 16.30 Conclusion of the Day’s Sessions (20 mins)
 
  • Recap of the day
  • Future plans
  • Martin Fidler Jones, CRF General Secretary
END OF DAY 3 of the CONFERENCE
19.30 – 22.30 Finale Dinner at MIA Atrium (https://inq-catering.com/en/spaces/mia-atrium)
Thursday, November 7 (Day 4)
Highlights of the Day: Conference Sessions, Updates from other organisations, Closing of the Conference and CRF AGM 2024
Theme of the Day: Global Cooperation among Registries
08:40 – 09:00 Networking (20 mins)
09:00 – 09:10 Recap of the previous day (10 mins)
  Martin Fidler Jones, CRF General Secretary
09:10 – 09:30 Conference Session 14 (20 mins)
 

Business Registry Insights - trends in penalties across the globe.

Speakers:

  • Angela Doneva, North Macedonia
  • Christoph Labenski, North Rhine Westphalia
09:20 – 09:40 Conference Session 15 (20 mins)
 

Dissolution of Companies without liquidation – Challenges.

Speakers:

  • Sapiah Ambo, SSM Malaysia
  • Yves Gonner, Luxembourg Business Register
09:40 – 10:30 Conference Session 16 (40 mins)
 

Corporate Redomiciliation – Challenges.

Moderator: Tuifa’asisina Sieni Tualega-Voorwinden, Samoa

Speakers:

  • Abdul Rasheed Purayil, QFC
  • Nor Azimah, Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM)
  • Antonina Buts, Astana Financial Services Authority, Kazakhstan
   
10:30 – 11:00 Conference Session 17 (30 mins)
 
  • Use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in registries
 
  • Presenters:
  • Aditya Sinha, QFC
  • Seema Borkhataria, QFC
11:00 – 11:20 Conference Session 18 (20 mins)
 
  • Presenter: Frederic Meunier, World Bank
11:20 – 12:20 Conference Sessions 19 (40 mins)
 
  • Presentations by European Business Registry Association (EBRA)
  • Presentations by International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA)
  • Presentations by African Energy Commission (AFREC) 
12:20 – 13:20 Conference Conclusion (60 mins)
 
  • Concluding remarks and next year’s host announcement by CRF President
  • Invitation address by 2025 host jurisdiction
  • Vote of Thanks and concluding remarks by Conference Director.
13:20 – 14:20 Lunch (60 mins)
Conference Ends

CRF Annual General Meeting

Thursday, November 7 (Day 4) - AGM
14:30 – 15:10 2024 CRF Annual General Meeting (40 mins)