Business Bermuda has been stepping up its efforts to boost the involvement of the Island's re/insurance industry in the Middle East.Jason Bibb, the chief operating officer of new Island company CATco Investment Management Ltd, representing Business Bermuda, took part in a panel discussion Middle East Insurance Forum in Bahrain this week.The topic was the insurance investments landscape and in a statement released today, Business Bermuda said the conference "set the stage for critical discussions that will chart a new phase of development for the regional insurance and reinsurance industry".Mr Bibb said: "Many of Bermuda's local service providers have extensive experience of Islamic structured finance including both conventional and Sharia-compliant funds. Moreover, it is likely that the global market for Islamic insurance will continue to grow, opening exciting possibilities for Bermuda re/insurers."Business Bermuda will be hosting the Business Bermuda Financial Services Reception Bahrain on February 16 as part of the effort to further develop the relationship between Bermuda and the Kingdom of Bahrain.The event will include an introduction from Cheryl Packwood, Chief Executive Officer of Business Bermuda and a panel discussion by members of Business Bermuda including, Stuart Lacey of Altree Financial, Fawaz Elmalki from Conyers Dill, Nicolas Angio from Apex and Belaid Jheengoor from PricewaterhouseCoopers. The discussion will cover shipping, Islamic Finance, fund structures and private wealth management.Useful websites: www.businessbermuda.org/bm, www.catcoim.com