BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Following the success of the second International Conference on Business, Economics and Finance (ICBEF) hosted by the UBD School of Business and Economics in 2019, a third iteration of the event will be held from November 1-3.

Given the current economic situation experienced by many countries during COVID-19, the main objective of the third ICBEF is to provide a forum for all researchers and practitioners to discuss the challenges faced during economic uncertainties, share experiences and suggest possible solutions.

The upcoming conference will feature a keynote address by Dr Wim Vanhaverbeke of the University of Antwerp, Belgium. 

He will discuss his paper titled “Digital Technologies, Business Model Innovation and Innovation Ecosystem Development“, which examines the potentially disruptive power of digital technologies; the business models needed to accommodate these technologies; and the innovation ecosystems that have to be established to bring the business model to life. 

He will present cases of digital transformation with application in precision agriculture, healthcare, energy and mobility. He will also  explore the strengths and weaknesses of innovation ecosystems strategies, and how companies have to organise an innovation ecosystem to change their business models.

Another invited speaker is Mohammad Kabir Hassan, professor of finance at the University of New Orleans, USA, who will share his scholarly views on “Value-Based Islamic Finance and Sustainable Development“. 

The conference will feature over 50 presentations by speakers from Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, as well as local presenters from Brunei Darussalam. These will be presented in 15 parallel sessions, which will take place throughout the three-day event. 

Another highlight of the conference is two panel discussions titled “Innovation for Sustainable Development and Ecosystem Management” and “Embracing Fintech in the Era of Business Uncertainty“, featuring local and international experts from the UK, UAE, Taiwan and Singapore. 

Besides papers on the main theme, the conference will also cover a number of important topics, including:

  • COVID-19 impact and experiences 
  • Open innovation and knowledge management
  • Strategic issues in business, human resource management and leadership
  • Issues in business development
  • Tourism economics
  • Financial literacy and fintech
  • Digital transformation, information technology and development
  • Performance management systems, marketing management and consumer behaviour
  • Readiness to adopt Industry 4.0
  • Asian and emerging economies
  • Economic development

The co-organisers of the conference include the Faculty of Management Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand; International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance, Malaysia; Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sarawak, Malaysia; the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Brunei Darussalam; the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB); and the Brunei Institute of Leadership and Islamic Finance.

UBD cordially invites interested parties to participate in this enriching conference. Tickets are priced at BND$150 for local participants and US$150 for international participants. 

More information about the conference can be found at sbe.ubd.edu.bn/icbef. Any enquiries can be directed to the secretariat at icbef.sbe@ubd.edu.bn