Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | 22nd January 2020: CFA Society India, in collaboration with CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, hosted its 10th India Investment Conference in Mumbai with the theme of ‘Preparing for a new normal’. The conference brought together many leading local and global investment management practitioners, experts, and economists to discuss the latest trends in the global investment management industry. This year’s conference included sessions on economic challenges, global trends and disruptions, portfolios for the future, bad credit analysis, taming uncertainty and more, with practical advice for investment practitioners.
“This is the 16th anniversary of CFA Society India and the 10th year we have hosted the India Investment Conference. We started the society with 50 members, and we have grown to over 3000 members this year. Our members in India have been working to build a committed and dedicated network of investment professionals who strongly believe that finance must be for the greatest benefit of the society and will truly abide by that principle,” said Navneet Munot, CFA, Chairman, CFA Society India and CIO, SBI Funds Management Pvt. Ltd.
Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics at Stern School of Business, New York University shared his insights on global economic challenges in a session entitled ‘Global economic challenges of our times’. He noted that the short-term outlook for advanced economies and emerging markets are mixed, but there are long-term economic challenges that most countries may face. He discussed how markets may be under-pricing geopolitical risks associated with the US election in November and the toxic political environment resulting from the impeachment process. He also pointed to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East which could result in an increase in global oil prices. More pointedly, he spoke of how India’s growth potential can be affected and increased by opening to interactions with the global economy.
Sir Howard Davies, Chairman, Royal Bank of Scotland shared his views on changes in the global finance industry in his presentation ‘Global trends and disruptions for financial institutions of tomorrow’. He noted that emerging markets must manage their finances so they are not overexposed to changes in the US while balancing in a low-trend growth period following an intense period of growth. This is all coupled with significant trade creation happening outside the banking sector.
Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA, Former CIO, Eastspring Investments spoke about the portfolios for the future in her session ‘Portfolios for the future – The new normal is here’. She shared her views on how clients of the future will challenge their investment advisors in new ways, including ESG. She gave examples of how the new generation of investors will ask managers about the carbon footprint of portfolio, because they will be younger and more environmentally conscious. This will lead to a new paradigm – more sustainable growth and financial inclusion, wherein assessing risk will be increasingly important.
Speaking on the 10th India Investment conference, Vidhu Shekhar, CFA, CIPM, Country head, India, CFA Institute said, “We are a big community around the world with more than 170,000 CFA charterholders. This annual conference has been held every January and it is a great way to kick off the year. We are delighted by the success of our conference and having such a great line-up of speakers.”
The 10th India Investment Conference had over 700 investment management professionals attending the event which provided them with a unique opportunity to improve their understanding of key issues that will drive investment decision-making. The conference featured a stellar line-up of global and Indian speakers including Satish Betadpur, CFA, Managing Director, Head of Investments – India, State Street Global Advisors; Sunil Singhania, CFA, Founder, Abakkus Asset Management, LLP; Ridham Desai, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley; Madhu Veeraraghavan, Director, T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal among others.
