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Kirsten Bischoff, Opalesque New York: One of the panelists for “The Rise of Sovereign Wealth Funds” discussion at the September 2008 Global Alpha Forum (Source) will be Michael Maduell, President and Founder of The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute (www.swfinstitute.org). According to The Sovereign Wealth Institute there are currently more than 50 SWFs in the world, controlling in excess of $3.8tln in assets. And although SWFs have been in existence as far back as the 1950’s, the quantum leaps in assets over the past few years (driven largely by the $2.31tln in SWF assets which originate in gas and oil) have brought these funds to the attention of a wider audience.

The legislative attention In both Europe and the United States, the opaque nature of these funds has brought an increase in legislative attention to regulations on SWF investments. The arguments for further oversight range from the political (the Congressional debate over the 2006 Dubai Ports World raising national security fears) to the economic (France, Germany and the UK all have SWF legislation which allows each country to block SWF investments if the stakes are too large).

According to research published in February 2008 by The Sovereign Wealth Institute, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) at approximately $875bln......................

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