The 8th edition of Bulgaria’s largest international finance exhibition and conference entitled “Banks Investment Money” started in Sofia Monday bringing together the country's leading financiers and economists.

The main topic of the 2010 edition of the international conference is, “1990–2010: 20 Years of New Banking in Bulgaria. The Experience and Role of the Bulgaria Financial Sector for Recovery from the Crisis”.

Detailed information about the forum is available on its website HERE (in Bulgarian).

The forum will continue from June 7 till Jun 9, and will feature a number of Bulgaria’s leading financiers and economists from the government institutions and the private sector. This is the first time it is held in the capital Sofia after the organizers decided to move it from the city of Plovdiv and to make it an event of an even greater scale.

It kicked off formally at 10 am on Monday in the Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan. Solomon Passy – former Bulgarian Foreign Minister and President of the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria – who is one of the forum’s organizers, has described it as “Bulgaria’s banking event of the year.

In a special address to the organizers and participants of the forum, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has pointed out that Bulgaria is a safe place for investors with a great potential for growth.

The “Banks Investment Money” expo will include presenting “Financial Products of the Year” awards in 11 categories. Together with the InvestBulgaria Agency, the organizers will hand prizes for “Foreign State with Greatest Investment in Bulgarian Industry in 2009” and “Foreign Corporate Investor of 2009.”

The 8th edition of the “Banks Investment Money” expo will include for the first time an award in a new category, “Financial Institution of the Year,” for which the nominees are both banking and non-banking institutions.

The “Money for Your Business” initiative is also part of the 2010 edition of the forum. It provides private companies and municipalities with the opportunity to present their ideas before creditors and investors in order to seek funding. The initiative is supported by the Bulgarian Credit Rating Agency and the InvestBulgaria Agency, and will entail a special award for “Best Investment Project.”

The “Banks Investment Money” expo and conference are organized by Emil Popov, Chair of the “Banks Investment Money” Foundation, Solomon Passy, President of the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria, and Maxim Behar, CEO of Bulgaria’s largest PR company M3 Communications Group, Inc.

Top speakers who are taking part in the panel discussions of the forum include Kalin Hristov, Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank; Violina Marinova, CEO, DSK Bank; Martin Zaimov, Chair of the Supervisory Council of Societe General Expressbank; Asen Yagodin, CEO of Eurobank EFG Bulgaria; Levon Hampartsumyan, CEO of UniCredit Bulbank; Stoyan Alexandrov, Chair of the Supervisory Board of D Commerce Bank; Kiril Grigorov, procurator of the Bulgarian Credit Rating Agency; Stamen Tassev, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum; Statty Stattev, member of the Board of the Bulgarian National Bank; Hristo Mihaylovski, CEO, Bulgarian Credit Rating Agency; Petar Chobanov, Chair of the Financial Supervision Commission; Sofia Kasidova, Vice President of the Black Sea Development Bank; Kalin Hristov, Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank; Stoyan Alexandrov, Chair of the Supervisory Board, D Commerce Bank; Assen Yagodin, CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors, Eurobank EFG Bulgaria; Galabin Galabov, member of the board and CEO of Emporiki Bank Bulgaria; Kiril Grigorov member of the board and procurator of the Bulgarian Credit Rating Agency; Tsvetan Simeonov, Chair of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Krassen Stanchev, Chair of the Board of the Institute for Market Economy; Yuliyan Nikolov, Economic Policy Directory head, Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, among others.