Andrew Crooke
Editor
Hubbis

• How have various independent models developed in Asia to date?
• What are the main misperceptions around the business models of independent firms?
• What has driven growth in Asia so far, and how is the market likely to evolve?
• What-s needed to help the market grow?
• What is the extent and value of the connectivity between Europe and Asia?
• What are the challenges in capturing the growth in wealth in this region?
• How can firms already in Asia differentiate themselves?
• What does it take to win AUM from local clients in order to justify expansion in Asia?
• Accessing local markets in Asia - how important to your future business success is building strategic relationships with independent firms in markets such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Taiwan to access new clients?

Chair

Andrew Crooke
Editor
Hubbis

Panel members

Urs Brutsch
Managing Partner & Founder
HP Wealth Management

Mandeep Nalwa
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Taurus Wealth Advisors

Nicolas Duchene
Chief Executive Officer, Reyl Singapore
Managing Director, Reyl Private Office

Carlo Rossi
Managing Director
Trendlab

Alison Lo
Managing Director
Target Capital Management

Mario A. Bassi
Managing Director, Head of Asia
Solution Providers Management Consulting

Philippe Legrand
Chief Executive Officer
London and Capital Asia

Olivier Collombin
Partner, Lombard Odier & Co Capital Partners
Founder, E-MERGING

• How and why - thanks to the internet, social networks and e-merging (www.e-merging.com) - small, efficient and well-connected companies are about to take advantage of the fragmentation of the private banking industry

Stefano Fiala
Chief Executive Officer
Veco Invest

A "live" Q&A on stage - to cover:

• Why has the independent model been successful in Switzerland?
• How is this relevant to Asia given the different dynamics and requirements?
• What can the independent asset management industry in Europe offer clients today?
• What are European clients in general now looking for?
• What are the key success factors for independent asset managers setting up in Asia?
• Singapore versus Hong Kong - what are the main considerations? And why did you choose Hong Kong?

David Schmid
Executive Director, Head of Structured Solutions South-east Asia
EFG Bank, Singapore Branch, EFG Financial Products Division

• Product creation & life-cycle management
• Trade themes & ideas

• What are the components of a winning product offering?
• What are the investment processes and infrastructure requirements you need in place to be successful?
• How do you currently achieve differentiation by service, product, and in any other way?
• How do you assess the current portfolio mix for clients, and in turn develop a more tailored asset allocation for the medium and long term?
• What to watch and what to avoid
• How can you add value to clients who are looking to (a) preserve wealth (and this should be while protecting against inflation, taxes, etc; or (b) grow wealth?
• How is the growing understanding and appreciation by clients of risk & return driving their investment decisions?
• What is the real potential for discretionary mandates? How do you get Asian investors to put their money in your hands?
• What you are looking for in custodians - as well as professional services firms

Chair

Andrew Crooke
Editor
Hubbis

Panel members

Melissa Shen
Director
Target Global Wealth Management

Hans Goetti
Chief Investment Officer
Finaport

Richard Mak
Head of Active Advisory, Asia
Pictet & Cie

Sam Luft
Chief Executive, Private Wealth Management, and Head, Private Client Investments.
First Degree Global Asset Management

Andrew Hendry
Managing Director, Asia
M&G Investments

Michael Hartweg
Founding Partner and Deputy Chief Executive Officer / Chief Financial Officer
EFG Financial Products

Bhaskar Laxminarayan
Chief Investment Officer, Asia
Pictet & Cie

• The macro-economic environment is improving at the margin
• Great divergence - the Eurozone remains a concern
• Equities are emerging as the asset class of choice
• Fixed income buckets need diversification and caution
• Local currency exposures are preferred

Lim Say Boon
Chief Investment Officer
DBS Group Wealth Management and Private Bank

The global economy will struggle with problems of debt and deficit for many years to come. But amidst the structural problems in the developed economies, Asia ex-Japan will likely continue on its historic transformation, offering growth and investment opportunities. How should investors position themselves between these two contradictory forces?

Royston Low
Director, Private Investments, Key Client Solutions
BNP Paribas Wealth Management

Alternative investments endured a roller coaster ride through the financial crisis. Between 2005 and 2007, global alternative assets under management nearly doubled, from US$2.9 trillion to US$5.7 trillion. Then, during the crisis, market scandals, illiquidity, poor performance and massive redemptions in selected categories crippled the alternatives industry. Growth stalled, and some wondered whether the heyday of alternatives had passed.

• What infrastructure is required to set up operations successfully and efficiently in Asia?
• The "do-s and don-ts" when setting up
• Asian Dragon (Hong Kong as part of China) Vs Asian Tiger (Singapore) - is it a relevant argument?
• What are the main considerations when setting up and doing business in each jurisdiction
• What are the processes, systems and technology involved in creating leading offerings? And what are the challenges in implementing them?
• What are the best-practice risk management frameworks you employ?
• How are changing client requirements and the need to stand out by providing a robust infrastructure driving how you look to evolve your platform?

Chair

Andrew Crooke
Editor
Hubbis

Panel members

Lyndon Arthurson
Director, Head of Asset Consultancy
Harris Fraser Group

Peter Lee
Managing Director
Veco Invest Asia

Geoffroy Ganshof
Head of Wealth Management
EuroFin Asia Group

Jean-Luc Freymond
Chief Executive Officer
S.A.G.E. S.A.

Vedat Tuzun
Director
Expersoft Systems

Michael Hartweg
Founding Partner and Deputy Chief Executive Officer / Chief Financial Officer
EFG Financial Products

Mario Casty
Business Development Manager, APAC
Expersoft Systems

• Changes in wealth & asset management
• Evolving technological landscape
• Solutions for the 21st century

• How has the regulatory and compliance landscape for independent asset management companies evolved?
• What are some of the compliance-related challenges, if any, faced by independent asset management companies?
• What do the recent regulatory changes in Singapore mean for locally-based companies?
• What is your assumption how the regulator (i.e. MAS) views the industry and its players?
• In what ways does the approach in Hong Kong or other major wealth management centres differ?
• How can independent asset management companies strike a balance between remaining compliant and yet attractive to both clients and potential recruits?
• What are the tax-related issues/challenges faced by independent asset management companies?
• What are the challenges around software and technology to create relevant solutions?
• How do you ensure all staff have the right attitude towards compliance and will continue to play within the boundaries? How do you instil a sense of accountability in your employees?
• How has the evolving regulatory and compliance environment in Asia impacted your business and offering of products and services, for example asset management or wealth (succession) planning?
• What are the practical steps an independent asset management company shall take to demonstrate compliance with changes in the regulatory regimes?

Chair

Andrew Crooke
Editor
Hubbis

Panel members

Beat Stamm
Chief Executive Officer
Marcuard Asia

Thierry Beck
Director
SingAlliance

Jon Dingley
Managing Director
TTG

Angelo Venardos
Chief Executive Officer
Heritage Trust Group

Elaine Chan
Partner, Financial Services Regulatory
WongPartnership

• Why would any European-based independent asset managers or family offices be interested in investing in Asia?
• What are the investment processes and infrastructure requirements to get access to the various opportunities in Asia?
• Do European firms actually need to book assets in Asia? What are the pros and cons?
• What-s unique about Asian investors and their buying habits?
• Is this just about investing in Asian equities? Or are there opportunities in other asset classes?
• Relatively speaking, does Asia represent a better opportunity than elsewhere in the world?
• What are the opportunities from a client acquisition perspective?
• As Switzerland reinvents its wealth management model, what does Asia now represent in terms of an opportunity?

Chair

Andrew Crooke
Editor
Hubbis

Panel members

Olivier Mivelaz
Chief Executive Officer
Swiss-Asia Financial Services

Philipp Piaz
Partner
Finaport

Jay Jhaveri
Head of Business Development, Asia
Wealth-X

Lim Say Boon
Chief Investment Officer
DBS Group Wealth Management and Private Bank

Mark Lea
Managing Director, Lea & White International Advisers Limited
Partner, Lea & White Solicitors, Hong Kong
Member of the International Advisory Panel, Labuan Financial Services Authority