As the Middle East and North Africa region continues to be roiled by political and civil strife, Coutts & Co, the UK private bank, has announced it is sponsoring a three-day family business conference about the MENA region to be held at a recently opened hotel next week.

The private bank is backing the Continuum Family Business Conference, an event organised by the Tharawat Family Business Forum. The conference will be held at the Corinthia Hotel in London from 6 to 8 July.

The outbreak of what was dubbed the “Jasmine Revolution” in countries such as Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Tunisia and Libya has prompted a variety of concerns, such as fears that illicit funds from the region may be trying to find a home in Western financial centres, and that the uproar could endanger already-fragile global market sentiment.

The three-day conference will focus on issues such as cross-border joint ventures; the upcoming generation of Middle Eastern business leaders; macroeconomic issues; scenario planning for family businesses, and the outlook for international family firms.

The conference is also supported by regional and international organisations, such as Al Khabeer Capital of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East Association (UK) and Arabian NextGen, the platform for young family business leaders in the Middle East.

Speakers include HE Jose Maria Figures, managing partner of IJ Partners, a Geneva-based investment and wealth management firm; Hussein Shobokshi, a media expert and TV presenter; Alex Classen, head of wealth international and CEO of RBS Coutts; and Dr Denis Kenyon-Rouvinez, head of international family business and philanthropy at RBS Coutts in Geneva.