The office will enable the CII to cement its existing connections in the Middle East and provide a local service to help the DIFC in its plans to establish a centre of excellence for the insurance industry in the region.

CII Director General Dr Alexander Scott says, 'This is a hugely exciting venture and indicates our commitment to supporting the development and raising of standards in technical practice and ethical behaviour amongst insurance practitioners in the Middle East.

Mr. Mark Greenwood has been appointed CII's Head of Regional Business Development for the region, and will be putting in place the local resources to support its activities.

'We are delighted with the arrival of the CII to DIFC. One of the objectives of the DIFC is to contribute to the development of the insurance and reinsurance industry in the region. By providing the right regulatory and infrastructural environment to enable the industry to realise its potential, the DIFC is laying the foundations for the future of the regional insurance industry.

'In order for the public, governments and corporates to have real confidence in the market, they need to know that the industry is being run by the best people. And the CII, with its world-class training and development programmes, will enable this to happen.

'The DIFC vision is very clear - we aim to shape tomorrow's financial map as a global gateway for capital and in the process be a catalyst for regional economic growth. Fitting into our vision are numerous strategic goals. One of the most important strategic goals for the DIFC is to create a knowledge economy for the region and Dubai.

CII qualifications are recognised world-wide as objective measures of commitment and knowledge. There are currently 930 CII members in the Middle East of which 200 have the highly acclaimed professional level Associateship (ACII) qualification.

The CII will play a major role from its base at DIFC helping to ensure a ready supply of technically competent, qualified people and, through CII membership which requires individuals to abide by a Code of Ethics and Conduct, support the development of an ethical framework for practitioners.

The CII, with nearly 90,000 members, is the largest professional body dedicated to the insurance, savings and financial services sectors in the world. It is dedicated to promoting higher standards of competence and integrity through the provision of relevant training and qualifications for employees at all levels and across all sectors of the industry.

The CII has been at the forefront in setting professional standards for the insurance industry for over a century. Its broad portfolio of education and qualification services is continually expanding to meet the changing requirements of companies and individuals across the financial services community.

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is an onshore hub for global finance. It bridges the time gap between the financial centres of Hong Kong and London and services a region with the largest untapped emerging market for financial services.

In just over one year, more than a hundred top international institutions have joined the DIFC as members. They operate in an open environment complemented with world-class regulations and standards. The DIFC offers its member institutions incentives such as 100 per cent foreign ownership, zero tax on income and profits and no restrictions on foreign exchange. In addition their business benefits from modern infrastructure, operational support and business continuity facilities of uncompromisingly high standards.

4. The DIFC Courts - An independent court system set up to uphold the provisions of DIFC laws and regulations, the courts provide comprehensive legal redress in civil and commercial matters within the DIFC. The laws, enacted by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum provide for a new court system designed especially for the DIFC and the sophisticated transactions that will be conducted within it.

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