Following hot on the heels of our highly acclaimed 2nd Regulatory Summit, SAIFM is proud to introduce our Investment Summit.
This summit offers a unique opportunity for financial market practitioners and advisers to ponder the realities of a new investment landscape and how to not only survive, but to thrive.
The focus of the summit will be interaction among peers with plenty of opportunity for audience participation that will ensure lively debate on issues affecting the financial market and advisers’ profession.
The investment industry is under severe pressure … regulatory changes, technological innovations, global risk factors, stagflation and recession, looming risk ratings downgrades and profound emerging markets vulnerability.
At this summit, the most pertinent issues for investors and the investment industry will be explored, including the impact of global developments on South Africa and the potential risks that these entail. How should such an investment landscape be navigated? Would it still be possible to achieve reasonable returns at acceptable risk levels?
Expectations of lower returns may motivate investors to evaluate the effect of costs and fees on long-term investment returns, particularly in the retirement industry. The debate on the potential impact of fees on investment returns will be explored, while the pertinent questions investors need to ask to ensure maximum investment returns at the lowest costs, will be highlighted.
Technological innovation can bring both threats and opportunities to investors and the investment industry. Robo-advisors, for example, could disrupt the investment advice industry as wealthy investors are increasingly turning to robo-advisors. Is this international development also prevalent in South Africa? How effective is such automated investing technology?
A related issue is whether passive investment strategies could offer superior returns to active investment strategies, particularly after costs and fees have been taken into account. Do the lower fee structures of such strategies compensate for outperformance of market benchmarks by active strategies? The latest research on investment results and the relative merits of each strategy will be debated.
Capital gains tax has recently been increased and the impact on investment returns, especially in the long term, will be debated. As is the case with costs and fees, the long term impact on retirement savings will be particularly important.
Investor engagement is a crucial issue in the investment process. Service providers need to know how effective communication strategies are in terms of the actual investor requirements. What is the unique perspective of each type of investor and what would influence their decisions? The role of investor education in this regard will be investigated. Should the role of the investment industry be questioned? Master or servant – has the investment industry been turned upside down?
What are the constraints encountered by the business and investment world in terms of protection of the environment and how important is the market for carbon credits in South Africa?
New investment instruments available on the JSE and the tools available to investors will be discussed. An update on Ponzi schemes and how not to be taken in by scams will be highlighted.
Finally, did service providers lose an opportunity by not creating innovative products to serve the low income mass market in South Africa? What are the constraints in this regard and what progress has been made to provide access to this market? How can technology and innovative business models be used to access a potentially lucrative market
The investment summit offers a unique opportunity for financial market practitioners and advisers to ponder the realities of a changed investment landscape and how to not only survive, but to thrive in these conditions.
Financial market practitioners will have the opportunity to engage with experts in the field and their peers in constructive debates on issues of concern in their businesses as well as those challenges unique to the South African investment landscape.
Opening address by George Glynos
Other confirmed speakers and panelists, all of whom are widely regarded as experts in the financial markets, include
Christo Luüs
Ingrid Goodspeed
Simbarashe Manwere
Adam Reeves
Eugene van Rensburg
Anne Cabot-Alletzhauser
Marcelina !Gaoses
Amy Underwood
Nerina Visser
Tony Barrett
Anthony Brislin
Roelof Goosen
Duncan Mc Allister
Roland Rosseau
Herman van Dyk
Brandon Zietsman
For more info and to register for this prestigious event, go to www.saifm.co.za
