Wealth & Investment Summit 2023

Overview

Backed by an evolving regulatory environment and supportive national leaderships, leading economies in GCC and the wider region continue building their private banking, wealth management and investment sectors. The well-executed emergence from the challenging early days of this decade, the comparative stability of the region and the dynamics of positive demographics fostering a youthful entrepreneurial spirit further underpin the region’s place among the leading global centres for wealth and investment.

The boosted provision of resources to cater to this growth, the attraction into the market of banks and investments houses new to the area and an increase in locally launched businesses, further solidified the wealth and investment credentials of the region.

As all these factors pull more investment capital into our region, so too will the sector witness the expansion of the vital technological and professional services providers it needs.

The 2023 MEA Finance, Wealth and Investment Summit will discuss the growth, assess the challenges and predict the future of the regional private banking and wealth services sector. Based on the lively and enthusiastic sessions at the event in the previous year, we can expect to be gifted with genuine insight, avid debate and first-class speakers from across the range of leading businesses and service providers to the market.

Agenda

Thusday, 09 November 2023
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, JBR Dubai UAE

08:00 - 09:00 Registration & Networking

09:00 - 09:05 MEA Finance Opening Note

09:05 - 09:15 Welcome Note

09:15 - 09:30 Keynote Address

09:30 - 10:15 Panel 1: Middle Eastern Succession Planning in a Growing Modern Economy

Huge transfer of wealth across generations is taking place in the Middle East, but roughly only a quarter of the regions’ HNWIs have adequate succession plans. How can this be addressed in ways that keep pace with the development of the region? What are the consequences poor succession planning on this scale, not just for relatives but for the whole region, with many families who built their wealth over recent decades owning large business employing many people? What instruments and efforts are in place or in development to make succession planning easier, attractive to families and more comprehensive in the region?

10:15 - 10:30 Presentation

10:30 - 11:15 Panel 2: Wealth and Society Today - How ESG & Philanthropy is Changing Regional Wealth Planning

Environmental and ESG concerns of the newer generations taking over family businesses, prospering from their own efforts or inheriting wealth are increasingly being factored into their investment decisions. How are wealth managers and investors meeting these demands? Are wealth stewardship institutions leading by developing new vehicles and products, or are client requirements moulding the industry? How do regional ESG and philanthropic values differ from other parts of the world when planning and maintaining wealth?

11:15 - 11:45 Coffee Break

11:45 - 12:00 Presentation

12:00 - 12:45 Panel 3: Safe Havens in Testing Times - Opportunities to Future-Proof Investment Portfolios

Uncertainties and challenges, economic, geo-political and environmental still linger. Do traditional safe investments such as Gold, Real Estate, US Treasury Bonds, Preferred Stocks and Corporate Bonds still retain value as dependable options, might other choices supplant them or are we becoming inured to continuing instabilities and seeing investment risk aversion decline? Currently enjoying buoyant energy sectors with a resulting favourable wider economy, encouraged by business and economic reforms, are GCC states viewed as a “Safe Haven,” by regional and global investors?

12:45 - 13:45 LUNCH

13:45 - 14:30 Panel 4: The Growing Role and Requirements of Family Offices in the Middle East

Family offices remain a growing presence, all aiming to service the growing numbers and needs of the prosperous in the Middle East. While there is no typical family office, with each nurturing their charges in their own way, are there common factors particular to the region when setting-up or running such a service? As the region continues to attract wealth, is pressure increasing to improve governance and transparency, and what services will family offices themselves need as their presence and activities grow here?

14:30 - 15:15 Panel 5: Investment Alternatives - Where are the best investing results going to come from?

Change and uncertainty are with us for the duration of the coming years, requiring keen observance of trends and attention to investment strategies. While conventional asset classes will remain central to portfolios, are there emerging alternative options that will bring better returns? Much talked of alternative investments - the Metaverse, NFT’s, Tokenisation and Crypto currencies have been noticeably humbled. Will they come back refreshed, renewed and as improved investment options, or will alternatives to day-to-day asset classes only ever provide transitory peak performances?

15:15 - 15:45 Coffee Break

15:45 - 16:00 Presentation

16:00 - 16:45 Panel 6: Technology and Digitisation of Wealth Management - Harmonising New Conveniences with Traditional Service

Digitisation technology in banking is the norm and its’ uses in wealth management and investing are pretty much part of the landscape too, reflecting both conversion to its’ conveniences and more digitally native generations moving into the higher net worth brackets. Nevertheless, questions remain. How will this evolution affect the way that private banks interact with clients, or change the necessary skills of wealth managers and service providers? What efforts must technology providers make to ensure their products and systems can provide the service levels, outcomes and security demanded by the wealthy clients of financial institutions?

Speakers

Ali Jaffari Chief Financial OfficerDHF Capital S.A.
Amer Halawi Senior Vice President, Head of ResearchAl Ramz Capital
Amer Malik Head of Middle East International & Senior Executive OfficerLombard Odier
Andrew Hammond Special AdvisorBeaufort Private Equity
Ayesha Abbas Head of Consumer, Private and Business Banking, UAE (CPBB UAE)Standard Chartered Bank
Bas Kooijman CEO and Asset ManagerDHF Capital S.A
Bhaskar Dasgupta Independent Board Director, Senior AdvisorSheikh Hamdan Bin Ahmad Al Makhtoum Private Office
Biju Thomas Director, Head of Family Office DeskMashreq Private Banking
Daniel Robinson Head of Wealth and Personal Banking, UAEHSBC
Faisal Hasan Chief Investment Officer & Head of Asset ManagementAl Mal Capital
Farzad Billimoria Senior Executive Officer & Head - Private Banking, UAEHSBC
George Hojeige Chief Executive OfficerVirtugroup
Graham Rowan ChairmanBeaufort Private Equity
Haitham Juma Unit Head - Investment SolutionsNational Bank of Fujairah
Hazem Fouad Head of InvestmentsMashreq Private Banking
Ismael Hajjar Partner, Entrepreneurial Private Business, Family Office ServicesPwC Middle East
Nina Auchoybur Managing Director - UAEOcorian
Neelam Verma Senior Executive ConsultantSecura International
Owen Young Managing Director, Regional Head, Affluent & Wealth Management (AME/E)Standard Chartered Bank
Paul Bryson Managing DirectorVirtugroup
Rahul Chopra Head of Dubai, Senior Executive Officer & Managing DirectorCharles Monat Associates
Rene Van Zyl Joint Head Tax and FiduciaryInvestec
Safa Bouzidi Leterme Managing Director of Wealth & Asset ManagementDaman Investments
Saqib Mahmood Group Chief Commercial OfficerNational Bonds Corporation
Shadi AlNasr Principal - Global Family OfficeThe Bank of New York Mellon
Thomas Schornstein Member of the Executive Board, GM MEAadditiv
Tim Denton Executive Vice President, Head of Wealth StructuringHabib Bank AG Zurich
Tim Searle Founder and ChairmanGlobaleye
Vipul Kapur Head of Mashreq Private BankingMashreq Private Banking
Walid Salem IT Lead - MEZurich Insurance Company
Zubin Muriya Executive DirectorJulius Baer