RIYADH: The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has revealed the program for a high-profile gathering of global leaders, business chiefs and innovators in Riyadh next week. The Future Investment Initiative (FII) runs from Oct. 23 to 25 with US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde among those scheduled to take part. More than 150 speakers from 140 different organizations have confirmed their attendance for the event which was hosted for the first time a year ago and was quickly dubbed “Davos in the Desert” — a reference to the annual World Economic Forum hosted each year in the Swiss resort. The three key themes of this year’s event are investing in transformation, technology as an opportunity, and advancing human potential. The Future Investment Initiative will explore the future of global investments, based around key pillars and summits for discussion. Here’s a glimpse at one of the key summits – Frontiers of Health: pic.twitter.com/xbtWXiiIOl— Future Investment (@FIIKSA) October 14, 2018 “FII is a global platform focused on identifying future economic trends and opportunities, defining the future of industries and discussing how investment can contribute to overall global prosperity and development,” the PIF, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said on Monday. “Ten years on from the global financial crisis, the world is undergoing a period of large-scale economic and technological transformation. FII will convene global leaders, investors and innovators to discuss how businesses, governments and global institutions can work together to drive long-term growth and prosperity.” The next installment of FII will include a panel called “One World” — a look at how leaders from business and government develop a collective vision for the future. Other sessions cover digital currencies, capital flows, market drivers, immersive technology, sustainability and giga-projects such as NEOM, the vast development announced at last year’s FII.