Washington, D.C., March 12, 2014 - The Institute of International Finance today announced that it will soon open an office in Dubai in recognition of the region's growing stature in the global financial system and to better serve its members.

In addition, it announced that Wolfgang Engel will become IIF's Chief Representative for the office. Engel currently serves as Director of Global Membership for IIF in Washington.

"The Middle East and Africa will play a larger role in the global financial system moving forward and IIF is committed to serving our growing member base," said Tim Adams, IIF president and CEO. "Recognizing the region's increasing influence, we will be opening an office here in Dubai to bolster engagement with our members and the official sector."

"I'm also pleased Wolfgang is taking on this new responsibility for us. His industry experience and knowledge of IIF's members and their needs will serve the region well moving forward," Adams added.

In his new role, Engel will lead efforts to strengthen relationships with members in the region, to identify and address their most important issues from their perspective, and to increase engagement with the official sector.

"I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to representing IIF throughout the Middle East and Africa," said Engel. "Over the last several years, IIF has put a larger focus on the region, and the opening of our regional office will allow the Institute to better serve our members."

Before joining IIF, Engel was a member of the Management Committee at Société Générale in charge of the Financial Institutions Group Germany and Austria. In that role he was primarily responsible for advising institutional clients on regulatory issues and debt and equity markets solutions.

From 1998 to 2005, Engel held a number of positions at BNP Paribas, including Head of the Debt Capital Markets Europe in London, Head of Institutional Clients Coverage Group for Germany and Austria and Head of Corporate Banking Division in Germany, among other roles.

Engel has also served in positions at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in Frankfurt, the Asian Development Bank in Manila and JPMorgan in Frankfurt and New York.

The Institute of International Finance is the global association for the financial industry, with close to 500 members from 70 countries. Its mission is to support the financial industry in the prudent management of risks; to develop sound industry practices; and to advocate for regulatory, financial and economic policies that are in the broad interests of its members and foster global financial stability and sustainable economic growth. Within its membership IIF counts leading global banks, insurers, pension funds, asset managers and sovereign wealth funds, as well as leading law firms and consultancies. For more information visit www.iif.com.