Connect Forum Online 2021 – On demand______

Our annual global Connect Forum was held on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 December 2021 and we were delighted to be joined by so many industry-leading speakers from across the world.

The major themes discussed included: the future of ESG investments, investor behaviours and attitudes, the future of funds administration, how can we move from short-termism to more long-term thinking – investing into ‘deep-futures, what is going to take for fund firms to be future ready and many more.

All of the sessions are now available to view on demand. To access any of the sessions from the list below, please click on the button and fill out the short form on the page.

A look at global fund flows: measuring investor sentiment

Mark Baker, Research Director at 5i Research, examines Calastone’s global fund flow data and assesses how investors across the world have reacted to today’s tumultuous economic climate. He will identify the key trends across all asset classes and consider their impact on the global funds industry.

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Mark Baker

Research Director, 5i Research

Panel: In depth analysis - Fund flow trends, investor sentiment and a pandemic

Our panel of market experts take a deep dive into the latest fund flow trends from across the Calastone network.

They will assess the market impact of the pandemic over the past two years and take a close look at global investor sentiment on equity, fixed income, mixed assets and real estate funds. They will also consider the impact of the pandemic on different equity sectors.

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Moderator

Edward Glyn

Head of Global Markets, Calastone

Panellists

Mark Baker

Research Director, 5i Research

William Lucken

Global Head of Product, Janus Henderson

Carolina Minio Paluello

Head of Product, Solutions and Quant, Schroders

Global investor trends into 2022

Following Calastone’s global survey of investor behaviour across six developed markets; we provide a detailed view of the prospects, pitfalls and digital changes facing the funds industry, and how these will shape fund firms as they seek to deliver positive digital experiences and investment outcomes in 2022 and beyond.

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Josh Wade

Product Manager, Calastone

Calastone product update

Summary of Calastone’s changing product landscape during 2021. Here we update you on the progress made with Calastone DMI Fund Services and how Calastone’s componentised approach is enabling us to meet each clients’ precise needs. We explain how we have reimagined the fund settlement process by enabling users to use any bank of their choosing to settle and complete payments in any currency. There is also a deep dive into Calastone Liquidity Insights, part of the new Business Insights.

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Varun Atre

Head of Product, Calastone

Future investment models, collective investments and the opportunity provided by tokenisation

As the industry moves to address a greater spectrum of investors with a diverse set of preferences and needs, how well does the current mutual funds investment model serve investors and investment managers and what practical changes should firms be asking for?

Adam Belding, Calastone CTO, explores the history of mutual funds as the current standard for collective investment, looks at what a model would look like if it were reimagined from scratch with today’s technology, and talks about Calastone’s plans to make this model a reality.

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Adam Belding

Chief Technology Officer, Calastone

Panel: Future of fund administration (hosted in partnership with Global Custodian)

Leading firms will explain how fund admin is evolving to meet the challenges faced in today’s dynamic funds market and how they are digitalising, using existing and new technologies, to deliver superior levels of service and investor value.

Informed by a recent survey conducted jointly by Calastone and Global Custodian, this panel discussion will explore issues that are top of mind for fund administrators and their clients and identify the most promising areas of opportunity in both traditional and innovative fund administration services.

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Moderator

Richard Schwartz

Special Projects Editor, Global Custodian

Panellists

Adam Belding

Chief Technology Officer, Calastone

Ben Bobroff

SVP, Head of Technology Sales Consulting for EMEA and APAC. Northern Trust

Suryanshu Mishra

Global Head of Fund Services, Securities Services, JP Morgan

Fund flow insights from the Calastone network: Investor sentiment across Australia and the world

Mark Baker, Research Director at 5i Research, assesses how investors throughout Australia and the world have reacted to the Covid-driven economic climate, where they are placing their cash and what the wider implications are for the managed funds industry.

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Mark Baker

Research Director, 5i Research

Panel: Fund flow trends in depth – New ideas and ways to capture the hearts and minds of investors

Our panel of market experts will discuss the latest investment trends raised in the previous session and what they mean for the industry and their businesses. They will assess the market impact of the pandemic over the past two years and take a close look at investor sentiment and they will consider the disconnects are between investor demands and the asset manager’s armoury.

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Moderator

Teresa Walker

Director of Client Engagement – Australia and New Zealand, Calastone

Panellists

Sam Hallinan

CEO, Schroders Australia

Nathan Krieger

Co-Head of Client Group, Australia, Dimensional Fund Advisors

Tim McGowen

Managing Director, Informed Investor

Panel: Building an efficient and flexible foundation for the entire funds industry

Fund administration is the fund industry’s engine room and impacts hugely on the efficiency of the entire investment value chain. What do asset managers want and need, and does this align to their plans? This panel will discuss how firms are utilising technology to differentiate and engage.

What has changed over the last 12 months and what more can we expect?
What digital levers should be pulled to improve the business outcomes for the funds industry overall?
As new asset classes emerge and data volumes increase, how can fund administrators help the industry to respond and focus on alpha-generating activities?

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Moderator

Justin Christopher

Director, Relationship Management – Australia and New Zealand, Calastone

Panellist

David Mackaway

COO, Challenger

Asia’s digital leadership – Securing a share of Asia’s growing investment flows is vital so where should firms be looking to set themselves up for the future?

Digital asset strategies are seen to be a major new source of growth for fund firms in Asia as investor interest in new assets grows fast.

Where is the smart money going in Asia in the near and medium term, how are digital assets being incorporated into growth strategies and where is demand being driven from?
As Asia, particularly China, opens up should the focus really be about digital only channels?
How are fund firms refining their operational models post pandemic to take advantage of new growth opportunities across digital distribution, data, and growing demand digital assets?
What technologies will be in everyday use in 2025? What challenges must be overcome for this to happen?

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Steffanie Yuen

Managing Director, Value Partners

Panel: Digital asset strategies are the go to for growth by Asia’s funds industry, but where is the smart money going?

Our panel will discuss what is needed to implement digitalisation at the strategic level, what the right operating model looks like and if this is enough to differentiate in an ever crowded market.

Are the region’s fund firms adjusting quick enough or have new entrants created enough disruption to steal their customers? Who will own the client of the future?
Will digital and crypto assets soon become integrate to fund firms’ growth strategies and what hurdles must be overcome to enable this?
How are fund firms using new digital levers to improve their business outcomes while evolving their product mix to meet the needs of their investors?

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Moderator

Leo Chen

Managing Director, Head of Asia, Calastone

Panellists

Stephanie Leung

Director and Head of StashAway HK and Group Deputy CIO, StashAway

Emmanuelle Pecenicic

Co-chair of the Blockchain committee of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong

Steffanie Yuen

Managing Director, Value Partners

The next normal society - Investing in ‘deep futures’ by moving from short-termism to long-term thinking

Why are resilience, trust, inclusivity and wellbeing now the imperative investment topics?
Short-termism has been named one of the greatest threats to humanity. Are business leaders transitioning to long-term thinking fast enough and how can they take informed action to create a more sustainable and inclusive future for all?
How can a balance of people, planet, purpose and profit be used to the new normal needs of the industry, its people and investors?

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Anne Lise Kjaer

Futurist, Kjaer Consulting

Panel: To remain relevant firms must embrace the new. But what haven't fund firms grasped as digitalisation and new technologies takes hold of the industry?

As firms look to accommodate new asset classes, find ways to become more resilient and cut cost at pace; could culture and workforce sustainability be as much of the answer as big tech and the ability to implement digitalisation at both the strategic rather and tactical levels?

How are leaders embracing this wave of digital innovation as a source of competitive differentiation?
Are DeFi and ESG really the long term saviours of the funds industry?
How are firms thinking differently about their organisation in order to deliver real world business and investor outcomes?

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Moderator

Henning Swabey

Managing Director, Head of Continental Europe, Calastone

Panellists

Anne Lise Kjaer

Futurist, Kjaer Global

Rajeev Tummala

Director Markets & Securities Services, HSBC

Nasir Zubairi

CEO, LHoFT

Industry leaders panel: What does it take to be future ready? (Industry leaders share their views on what the industry should be doing next)

The industry is approaching an inflection point driven by a number of important factors. The changing needs and expectations of the investor, fee compression driven by the rise in passive investment and the acceleration of technology are providing opportunities to digitalise and create efficiency but also fuelling a digital arms race as firms seek to differentiate. What does the industry need to do to remain relevant to our changing society? Is today’s operating model still appropriate? Will we see the amazonification of funds?

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