The changing face of financial centres and emerging markets will be debated during the Dubai International Financial Centre Week.

Headline conferences, lectures and seminars are to be held during the week - from November 17 to 23 - at The Gate district.

'Financial centres can succeed where politics has failed, with economics driving the agenda in an increasingly globalised world,' said CEO of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Nasser Al Shaali.

'Emerging market players are going on shopping sprees in developed markets, and country borders are proving to be no barriers to structuring deals. The tides are changing and investment flows are determining the political agenda,' said Al Shaali.

He pointed to China as an example. 'The unifying forces of fluid but well-regulated cross-border financial transactions are the most effective way to level out the global playing field, whether in terms of alleviating poverty or eradicating corruption,' he added.

The timetable of events is as follows:

November 17: DIFC Economic Forum on emerging markets, developed with the support of Economist Intelligence Unit. DIFC Lecture presented by Steven Levitt, the bestselling author of Freakonomics.

November 18: Islamic and Ethical Finance, in association with The Wall Street Journal. DIFC Boutique Event on Contemporary Art Investment, presented by Michael Moses, co-creator of the Mei Moses Index, the industry benchmark for measuring art as an asset.

November 19: The FT/DIFC World Financial Centres Summit (day 1). DIFC Boutique Event on Carbon Trading, presented by Rod Beckstrom, a board member of Environmental Defence.

November 20: The FT/DIFC World Financial Centres Summit (day 2). The Gate Lecture presented by Jeffrey Sachs, economic advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations.

November 21: Hawkamah Conference on corporate governance. DIFC Boutique Event on Human Capital, presented by Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at London Business School.

November 22: Middle East Capital Markets Forum, in association with Institutional Investor.

DIFC week, the first event of its kind in the world, will focus on Financial Opportunities for the Third Millennium. The week of conferences will address every principal topic in the international financial arena.Trade Arabia News Service