Is the integrated, ‘one bank’ approach to private banking better geared to meet the needs of Asia’s wealthy – many of whom remain in a wealth creation phase – or do private banks that operate as ‘independent’ business divisions or even ‘pure’ wealth managers derive key advantages from their relative autonomy? While surely not a binary dilemma, the alignment between value proposition and business model matters more than ever, as issues of scalability, regulatory tightening, independence of advice and product offering and, ultimately, business sustainability loom large in the industry. This CEO panel promises to strike at the heart of what it takes to bank Asia’s wealthy.

Moderator:
Sebastian Enberg, Editor, Asian Private Banker

Conversation catalysts:
François Monnet, Managing Director, Head Greater China, Private Banking Asia Pacific, Chief Executive Hong Kong, Credit Suisse
Jimmy Lee, Member of the Executive Board, Head Asia Pacific, Julius Baer
Pierre Vrielinck, Chief Executive Officer Wealth Management, Asia Pacific, BNP Paribas
Vincent Chui, Chief Executive, Morgan Stanley Asia International Limited

Private banks continue to struggle to convince Asian HNWIs to take risks or reduce their heavily overweight fixed income allocations, despite reflationary momentum driven by recovering growth and promises of political reform. But not all is lost. Clients continue to seek predictable income through fixed maturity solutions. Equity strategies focused on long-term structural thematic trends, both in public and private markets, continue to garner interest. Increasingly charitability in Asia has opened up opportunities for strategies that produce social returns or investments based on ESG best practices.

What investment trends are likely to find favour with Asian HNWIs this year? Join AXA Investment Managers, Capital Group and leading wealth managers to exchange insights on how Asian HNWIs could approach a new market environment.

Moderator:
Richard Otsuki, Deputy Editor, Head of IPS Coverage, Asian Private Banker

Conversation catalysts:
Arjan de Boer, Head of Markets and Investment Solutions, Indosuez Wealth Management
Christian Leger, Business Development Director, Global financial intermediaries, Capital Group
Fan Cheuk Wan, Managing Director, Head of Investment Strategy and Advisory, Asia, HSBC Private Banking
Mark Tinker, Head of Framlington Equities Asia, AXA Investment Managers Asia Ltd
Stefan Lecher, Head IPS Client Portfolio Management APAC, UBS Wealth Management
Yves Klenk, Head Markets and Advisory Solutions Hong Kong, Julius Baer

Invite-only Roundtable | Structured product investing without a directional view – Queensway & Victoria Room
Aversion against directional bets, market timing and asset correlation are all fears that Asian HNWIs have demonstrated as global economies shift into a less than familiar environment.

Citi and Vontobel will host a small discussion of leading wealth managers examining the state of structured product appetite in Asia and how providers can help improve sentiments through effective solutions without taking a directional view.

Moderators:
Bernard Wai, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Head of Citi Private Client Solutions, Citi
Sebastien Moretton, Associate Director on the Advisory Desk, Vontobel Financial Products APAC

Conversation catalysts:
Belle Liang, Head of Investment Advisory, Investment Products and Advisory Business, Hang Seng Bank
Emmanuel Triomphe, Executive Director, Head of Investment Products and Services (IPS), Capital Markets Distribution, APAC, UBS
Jaye Chiu, Managing Director, Head of Investment, EFG Bank
Joffrey Desrousseaux, Executive Director, Head of Capital Market Products & Execution, DBS Bank Hong Kong Wealth Management
Lemuel Lee, Head of Equities, Asia, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Sascha Banz, Managing Director, Head of Investment Consulting, Credit Suisse

We are at the early stages of the robotics revolution, the robotics market is expected to grow by 10% a year until 20251. While this is an emerging multi-decade theme, it is already an investible area from which AXA Investment Managers aim to select 40 to 60 fast growth companies to build a global portfolio diversified across market cap and sectors. Robotics will continue to have a significant impact on society for years to come and an increasing number of new listed small and mid-cap companies will become investment opportunities over time.

AXA IM have a long history and track record in thematic equity investing (e.g. technology, healthcare, biotech, listed property etc.). We have been early adopters of the robotics trend and have been investing in areas such as industrial automation, autonomous vehicles and robot assisted surgery for a number of years in other strategies. We fundamentally believe you need an active manager to access new growth areas such as robotics.

Workshop host:
Mark Tinker, Head of Framlington Equities Asia, AXA Investment Managers Asia Ltd

Workshop 2 | Are investors ready for the new era of globalisation? – Salon 5&6, Ballroom

Is the world de-globalising? News headlines suggest so. Global trade growth has slowed. The new US administration’s decisions to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and consider border taxes are further examples of a shift towards protectionism. But there are good reasons to believe that globalisation is simply entering a new chapter. We discuss what the changing environment means for companies, and how investors can position their portfolios to benefit.

Workshop hosts:
Andy Budden, Investment Director, Capital Group
Christian Leger, Business Development Director, Global Financial Intermediaries, North Asia, Capital Group

Workshop 3 | ESG’s Place in Investment Portfolios: Performing for the Future – Queensway & Victoria Room

Sustainability is clearly one of the humanity’s most important goals. In the investment world, more and more investors are concluding that environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are important when managing assets for the long term. ESG may sound less relevant to private banks and individual investors compared to large institutions. However, we believe the opportunities of ESG investing and the risks of ignoring ESG should not be overlooked. In the workshop, we will discuss the basics of ESG, address some of the common misconceptions, and provide some tips on how investors might factor ESG considerations into their portfolios.

Workshop host:
Jonathan M. Shead, Head of Portfolio Strategists, Asia Pacific, State Street Global Advisors

The U.S. Federal Reserve is increasing short-term interest rates and the European Central Bank has begun to taper their bond purchase program. U.S. President Trump promised tax cuts, infrastructure spending, and deregulation even though the U.S. economy is operating near full employment. Will the reduction in monetary policy accommodation and potential increase in inflation cause losses for fixed income investors or are there investment strategies which can provide stable income and preserve capital? We will discuss the history of rising interest rate cycles, why this time may be different, and strategies that global investors are using today to diversify and protect their portfolios.

Workshop host:
Terry Moore, Portfolio Specialist, Fixed Income Division, T. Rowe Price

Workshop 5 | Asia Equities: Small is Beautiful – Salon 4, Ballroom
Some of the greatest corporate transformations driven by technology are occurring in Asia, a region that is now similar in size to the United States in terms of nominal GDP. An on-the-ground research presence in Asia and a thorough knowledge of company strategies and managements are among the key success factors in realizing one of the largest alpha opportunities in global equity markets, particularly among many hundreds of investable, high-quality, under-researched small and mid-cap stocks in Asia. We will also discuss why in this third and final phase of the market’s normalization after the great financial crisis, asset owners are likely to increase their investment allocation to equities and to embrace a more active stance.

Workshop host:
Anik Sen, Global Head of Equities, PineBridge Investments, New York

Chinese private banks and wealth managers may dominate the country’s onshore market, but a number of major players have now set their sights on capturing a larger share of offshore wealth in Asia and beyond. But is this too much too soon, especially given the relative adolescence of Chinese wealth managers vis-a-vis their mature international counterparts. This panel confronts the opportunities and challenges facing Chinese private banks and wealth managers and their offshore strategies across proposition and product, client and talent acquisition and regulations.

Moderator:
Sebastian Enberg, Editor, Asian Private Banker

Conversation catalysts:
Brenda Tian, Head of Private Banking and Wealth Management Department, Wing Lung Bank
Kenny Lam, Group President, Noah Holdings
Kevin Huang, Head of Overseas Private Banking, China Merchants Bank
Nick Xiao, CEO, Swiss China Corp.