PRELIMINARY SESSIONS, 1-2 November 2021

KEYNOTE SPEECHES
Andreas Yiasemides, President, Cyprus Investment Funds Association
George Campanellas, CEO, Invest Cyprus
José Manuel Campa, Chairperson, European Banking Authority, France
Constantinos Petrides, Minister of Finance, Republic of Cyprus*

SESSION 1: Asset Management - The Investment Vehicles and Asset Classes that Lead the Market
The Asset Management industry is on an ever-changing path of growth. This session will discuss the current key trends that impact the market and will explore the best options for fund managers that want to stay above the curve.

• Emerging Investment Sections in the Post-Covid Era (e.g. Medical Technology)
• Evaluating risks and gains when choosing investment vehicles
• Diversifying a portfolio
• Cryptocurrency as a New Vehicle
• Systematic Investment Plan
• Mutual Funds
• ETFs and Index Funds
• Bonds

James Bevan, CIO, CCLA Investment Management, UK
Niall McDonnel, CFA, Senior Investment Management/President, Architas/ CFA Society Ireland, Ireland
Rania Azmi, Founder and Member, Alexandrite Decisions and Wharton’s Executive Advisory Boards, Kuwait

SESSION 2: Asset Management - Financial Stability and Liquidity
Financial Institutions find themselves needing the right level of liquidity to achieve financial stability. This session will explore how different asset classes can impact liquidity and in extend financial stability while also addressing current market concerns and potential solutions.

• Key areas for financial stability 
• Liquidity Risk Management
• Alternative classes with less liquidity
• Local and Global Stock Market impact
• Bankers’ role in Liquidity

Bridget Farrell, Senior Counsel, Investment Company Institute, UK
James Athey, Investment Director, Aberdeen Standard Investments, UK
John Romeo, Managing Partner, Oliver Wyman, UK
Samantha Watson, Senior Sales Executive, Morningstar, UK*

SESSION 3: Fintech & Regtech – Game Changers in Investment and Fund Management
Technology has certainly taken the front of the stage this past year and has been proven as a game changer to asset manager, wealth managers and service providers. However, has the industry fully integrated technology to its operating practices? This session will explore how efficiency can be improved, will highlight the importance of Fintech in shaping current technologies such as machine learning techniques and artificial intelligence while examining the role of Regtech.

• The Impact of Digitalization to the Funds Industry
• Digital Operation Resilience Act (DORA)
• Incorporating Virtual Assets to the Portfolio: From Operations, to Reporting, to Cross-border
• Virtual Payments: A New Means of Payment

Siri G, Børsum, VP Finance Vertical Global Partnerships & Eco-Development, Huawei Technologies, Norway
Andreas Andreades, Executive Chairman, Temenos, Switzerland*

SESSION 4: Cross-Border Distribution
Global distribution is one of the practices that is heavily desired by fund managers internationally. Hence, the fund industry has seen an exponential growth of cross-border fund registrations. Has covid-19 affected these practices and/or has it led fund professionals to rethink distribution models?

• Funds Associations discuss the International Trends
• A Global Passport for Funds: The Need, the Challenges and the Execution
• Practical Examples from the Banking Sector on Passporting
• B2B Models
• D2C Models

Axel Lomholt, Head of Product and Master Program Management, Vanguard Asia at Vanguard, UK
Stéphan Pouyat, Global Head of Capital Markets, Funds, ETFs and ESG services, Euroclear, Brussels
Steward Aldcroft, Chairman, Cititrust Limited, Hong Kong

SESSION 5: Demystifying the Nouveau Depositary Model
The digitization in the financial services industry, the rapid growth of digital assets and the evolution in the regulatory frameworks of fund managers have all led Depositaries rethink about their operating models and how to position themselves to accommodate these trends and emerging fund manager needs going forward. The conventional model of a Depositary is being challenged and new models have already started to emerge. Join us in a discussion with our experts in demystifying the trends and challenges of this “Nouveau Depositary model”.

• The changing role of the Depositary
• Digital Assets and Depositary Services
• Banking Law vs Investment Services Law: Can there be equivalence in their standards?
• Can a depositary rely on an authorized Fund Manager’s onboarding process for client acceptance?
• Is the risk appetite of a bank the main reason in cases of unsuccessful onboarding of UBOs of regulated entities?
• Passporting of Depositary Services

Makram Halabi, Senior Vice President - Head of Dubai Office, Clearstream, UAE

SESSION 6: Sustainable Investing
While many saw it as a trend at first, sustainability is definitely here to stay and has become an integral concept for financial institution organizations. This session will discuss the steps the industry has taken in integrating sustainability concerns, what’s next and how regulation can help with successful practices.

• Transitioning into ESG practices: Operational Changes and Management Processes
• Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)
• Evaluating emerging trends on Sustainable investing
• ESG impacts on the company
• Net Zero Economy by 2050
• Integrating ESG into the Investor’s portfolio
• The climate crisis and its impact on financial markets

Jasmine Z Yu, Head of Global Manager Research, BNY Mellon
Markus Lange, Partner, PwC Germany, Germany
Sarah Teacher, Executive Director, Impact Investing Institute, UK

Click here to download the preliminary agenda

Click here to download the 2020 agenda

*Invited

Dates and programme are preliminary and are subject to change by the organizers