Bloomsbury Regulatory News (BMY)

10 Sep 2007 07:02

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC10 September 2007 Bloomsbury Publishing and Qatar Financial Centre Authority announce major global financial knowledge publishing partnership Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authorityannounce today a multi-year agreement to produce Qatar Finance - The UltimateResource, an ambitious new banking and finance information resource and itsonline version www.QFinance.com. Created by 300 of the world's leading experts in the field, Qatar Finance - TheUltimate Resource will meet the information and business needs of theprofessional finance community worldwide and form a unique online forum forfinance professionals. Scheduled to launch in autumn 2009, the authoritative andwide-ranging 1.5 million word database will give both online and in print accessto the latest information on current topics, best practice across all key areasin finance and financial services, key thinkers, business leaders, thusaddressing the daily information and advice needs of an increasingly globalindustry in a clear, accessible and regularly updated form. The online service will offer finance professionals worldwide free access to thehuge breadth and depth of Qatar Finance: The Ultimate Resource, together withcompelling additional daily content updates and functionality targeted at theneeds of the global financial community, as well as academics and students ofbusiness and finance. The website QFinance.com will be supported by a series ofauthoritative books. Stuart Pearce, CEO and Director General of the Qatar Financial Centre Authority,said: "This exciting and ground-breaking project with Bloomsbury Publishing underlinesthe importance of financial services in Qatar's development, and its role as akey financial and commercial hub in the Middle East. The sheer scale of thisproject also reflects the vision and ambition that characterises the meticulousway Qatar's leaders are paving the way for its future. In a little over 2 years,the QFC has established itself as one of the fastest-growing financial centresin the world as Qatar increasingly commits itself to become a knowledge-basedeconomy." Nigel Newton, Founder and Chief Executive of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc said: "Qatar Finance - The Ultimate Resource is a unique project of globalsignificance. It will be the definitive guide and reference to the financialworld today and will become the globally recognized print and online first pointof reference for people involved in finance from business leaders to studentsand all levels in between. It will be of the highest quality and provide greateducational value and professional guidance to all who use it. Bloomsbury have atried and tested capability to manage a project of this ambition and scale, andto deliver the intellectual input to ensure its success. With an organisation ofsuch dynamism as the QFC Authority, we are confident that Qatar Finance - TheUltimate Resource will be a fitting legacy for this financial generation, and abenchmark for the next." Further enquiries: Bell Pottinger PR advisor to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Ben Woodford/Dan de Belder Tel +44 207 861 3232 Steve Martin Qatar Financial Centre Authority Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing Tel +974 496 7755 Mob +974 583 1937 e-mail s.martin@qfc.com.qa Notes to Editors: Qatar Financial Centre (http://www.qfc.com.qa/) The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) is a financial and business centre establishedby the Government of Qatar and located in Doha. It has been designed to attractinternational financial services institutions and major multi-nationalcorporations and to encourage participation in the growing market for financialservices in Qatar and elsewhere in the region. The QFC will operate tointernational standards and provide a first class legal and businessinfrastructure for those operating within the QFC. The QFC was created by QatarLaw No.(7) and has been open for business since 1 May 2005. QFC Regulatory Authority The QFC Regulatory Authority is an independent regulatory body established byArticle 8 of the QFC Law. It regulates firms that conduct financial services inor from the QFC. It has a broad range of regulatory powers to authorize,supervise and, when necessary, discipline firms and individuals. The QFCRegulatory Authority regulates firms using principle-based legislation ofinternational standard, modeled closely on that used in London and other majorfinancial centers. The Regulatory Authority is currently receiving applicationsand granting authorisations. QFC Authority The QFC Authority is the commercial, administrative and legislative bodyresponsible for driving the commercial strategy of the QFC and for developingrelationships with the global corporate community and other key institutionsboth within and outside of Qatar. The QFC Civil and Commercial Court and QFC Regulatory Tribunal The QFC Civil and Commercial Court and QFC Regulatory Tribunal were launched inFebruary 2007. The President of the Court is Lord Woolf, formerly Lord ChiefJustice of England and Wales. The Court is modelled on the internationallyrespected Commercial Court in London. In the event of disputes in matters oflaw, it will be the final arbiter. The Regulatory Tribunal has been establishedto hear and decide upon appeals from decisions of the QFC Regulatory Authorityand other QFC agencies. Its Chairman is William Blair, QC. Both the Presidentand the Chairman are supported by Judges who have held the highest judicialoffices in their own jurisdictions. About Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (www.bloomsbury.com and www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk) Bloomsbury Publishing is one of the world's leading independent, publicly quotedpublishing houses with a reputation for a high quality management team and ahighly valuable portfolio of intellectual properties including the Encarta WorldEnglish Dictionary, JK Rowling's Harry Potter, Margaret Atwood, John Irving,David Guterson and Ben Schott. Other databases include Who's Who, Whitaker'sAlmanack, Reed's Nautical Almanac, Black's Medical Dictionary, the MacmillanEnglish Dictionary for Advanced Learners of English, Business: The UltimateResource and RSPB Handbook of British Birds. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange