Ardian Fullani: The confidence indices Speech by Mr Ardian Fullani, Governor of the Bank of Albania, at the regional seminar “Development and implementation of business and consumer confidence indices in Albania 2”, Tirana, 1 December 2006. *  *  *  Dear participants, Today’s seminar, on the confidence indices, has a special importance, due to the fact that it regards the evaluation and decision-making basic elements in economic policies, information and in its real dimension. As in any decision-making process information is the first step to reach a sound judgment on the right monetary policy for a central bank. It is indispensable for the monetary authorities to prepare the analysis of the macroeconomic indicators, in order to prepare a monetary policy that ensures the stability of the internal indicators as well as the relations with the partner economies in trade affairs. On a more general view, the economy of a country can not achieve competitiveness and international standards, if development policies are built on a non complete information basis. The preparation of a complete information framework in the economic field is a challenge for the regional countries to reach occidental standards. At the current stage, for Albania this challenge is even more urgent. The actual condition of the national statistics has room for spreading the statistical basis and for providing stable statistics over time. However, the progress in the statistics field, as well as in other related ones, needs time, funds and the right legal ground for undertaking substantial projects.

Allow me to express our utmost gratitude to His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Her Majesty, and His Royal Highness Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan, the Royal Patron of Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC) and Her Royal Highness, for gracing tonight’s Gala Dinner. Our sincere appreciation to Securities Commission Malaysia, for jointly hosting this dinner with Bank Negara Malaysia, under the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC) initiative. Since the introduction of the Royal Award for Islamic Finance (RAIF) in 2010 as a biennial event, it has given due recognition to three individuals. Tonight, another individual will be awarded the 2016 RAIF, for outstanding contributions in the development of Islamic finance. The Islamic finance industry has continued to gain strength and stature, recording robust global growth of between 10 to 12 percent annually over the past decade. Amidst a highly challenging global economic environment, the growth reflects the steady advancement and maturity of the industry in meeting the needs of the economy. As we progress into the new era of growth, our endeavour to enhance the vibrancy of the industry warrants a new way of thinking in the face of increasing competition and profound changes brought about by technological advancements. In facing these challenges successfully, one of the prerequisites is a pool of talent that is dynamic, adaptable and visionary. 1/3  BIS central bankers' speeches  In Malaysia, we have invested substantially in cultivating talents equipped with the required skill sets and knowledge needed to compete, to think and to innovate.