ASIFMA Annual Conference 2024

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ASIFMA Annual Conference 2024

29 February – 1 March 2024 | Grand Hyatt Hotel, Hong Kong

OVERVIEW

About the event:

The ASIFMA Annual Conference is one of the widest reaching platforms in the region that brings together global leaders from regulatory bodies, as well as c-suite banking & asset managers, market makers, institutional investors, market information providers and leading industry experts globally. This flagship event will take place at the iconic Grand Hyatt hotel in Hong Kong.

Some of the key topics include:

Debunking the Demographic Challenges (a Macro Perspective on inflation, growth, elections, monetary policies),
Competition for Foreign Investment in Asia and What the Changing Global Dynamics Mean for Asia,
Corporate Credit Markets: a New Paradigm for APAC?
What’s next for Green Finance,
Generative AI.

As part of this event, we are also delighted to present the EU-Asia Financial Services Dialogue, in partnership with Afore Consulting, on the morning of Day 1 of the conference and the invitation-only Gala Dinner on 28th February 2024, which promises to be an evening filled with regulator networking opportunities, industry insights, and influential attendees.

Language:

English

Program Format:

2-day engaging program through keynote addresses, panel discussions, case studies, & fireside chats.

For more details about the event or if you would like to join the speaking faculty, please contact Claire Souleyman at csouleyman@asifma.org

AGENDA

Our event programme is being developed in close consultation with ASIFMA committee members and directors to identify the key issues facing businesses, regulators and industries in the region. We welcome your feedback on content, please email: csouleman@asifma.org.

DAY 1: THURSDAY 29TH FEBRUARY 2024 / EU-ASIA FINANCIAL SERVICES DIALOGUE

09:05 – 09:10	Opening Remarks: Peter Stein, Chief Executive Officer, ASIFMA
09:10 – 09:15	Welcome Remarks: Nickolas Reinhardt, Co-Founder and Director, Afore Consulting
09:15 – 09:30	Opening Keynote: Ugo Bassi, Director of Financial Markets, European Commission, DG FISMA
09:30 – 10:00	Keynote and Q&A: Verena Ross, Chair, European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
10:00 – 10:55	Panel EU1: Sustainable Finance Creating a Globally Compatible Reporting Framework. • How can we work towards a commonly applicable non-financial reporting framework that works across regions and serves international investors? • How do we recognise regional specificities without reintroducing global fragmentation or the extraterritorial application of rules? • How do we ensure the credibility of the framework without this becoming too burdensome to implement? Can the non-financial reporting framework help incentivise transition financing? • What policy tools should supervisors and regulators adopt to facilitate the transition and what are its limits? • What is the role for international standard setters, such as IOSCO and the ISSB? *Panelists:* Azalina Adham, Managing Director, The Securities Commission Malaysia Paulina Dejmek Hack, Director General Affairs, European Commission, DG FISMA Christine Kung, Senior Director, Head of International Affairs & Sustainable Finance, Securities and Futures Commission, Hong Kong Jakub Michalik, International and Institutional Affairs Team Leader, ESMA *Moderator:* Diana Parusheva, Managing Director, Head of Public Policy and Sustainable Finance, ASIFMA
10:55 – 11:25	Coffee Break
11:25 – 11:35	Pre-recorded Speech Klaas Knot, Chair, Financial Stability Board; President, De Nederlandsche Bank
11:35 – 12:25	Panel EU2: Digitalization The Future of Tokenised Securities – Delivering a Seamless Global Service? • What can established securities markets learn from the emergence of the crypto sector and where are the limitations of this comparison? • Emergence of DLT led solutions in securities markets? What use cases are particularly well placed for the adoption of DLT? • Regulatory and supervisory support of DLT-based solutions? • Impact of settlement cycle time on the adoption of DLT solutions? • What aspects of regulation would need to change to facilitate DLT applications and who would supervise the nodes? • The rise of permission based or DLT solutions? • How would the cash-led of transactions be managed? Will we see a rise of stablecoins or CBDCs? Panelists: Jan Ceyssens, Head of Unit Digital Finance, European Commission, DG FISMA Julia Leung, Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Futures Commission, Hong Kong Tuang Lee Lim, Assistant Managing Director (Capital Markets), Monetary Authority of Singapore Wee Kian Lim, Chief Executive Officer, DBS Digital Exchange, DBS Bank Toshiyuki Miyoshi, Vice Commissioner for International Affairs, Financial Services Agency of Japan Moderator: Nickolas Reinhardt, Co-Founder and Director, Afore Consulting
12:25 – 12:35	Pre-recorded Speech Jean-Paul Servais, Chairman of the Board, IOSCO; Chairman, Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA)
12:35 – 13:35	Lunch Break

DAY 1: THURSDAY 29TH FEBRUARY 2024 / ASIFMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

13:35 – 13:45	Welcome Address: Peter Stein, Chief Executive Officer, ASIFMA
13:45 – 13:50	Welcome Remarks: Andrew Ng, Group Executive, Head of Treasury and Markets, DBS Bank
13:50 – 14:05	Keynote Address: Eddie Yue, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority
14:05 – 14:45	PM Panel 1 New Global Dynamics and their Impact on Asia Financial institutions are now facing an increasingly complex environment where there is no more one-size fits all (if that ever existed). Here we set the scene and discuss what to expect for the year(s) to come and how does that translate for Asia. • Geopolitics: how did we get here? How is that critical for our industry? • Economics: what is the perspective for the global equilibrium, the emergence of the global south as a consolidated force, the dominance of USD? • Trade: protectionism, trade barriers and regulatory fragmentation • Technology: digitalisation and AI • Climate: sustainable and transition finance Panelists: James Fok, Chief Commercial Officer, CMU, Hong Kong Monetary Authority Peter Reynolds, Partner, Head of Greater China, Oliver Wyman Jang Ping Thia, Lead Economist, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Moderator: Peter Stein, Chief Executive Officer, ASIFMA
14:45 – 15:20	*Global Macroeconomic Trends for 2024 and what that means for Asia* • Conflicting forces affecting the global monetary policy outlook. • Who will cut rates first? • How do these forces affect Asia’s outlook? • Are China’s economy and markets turning the corner? Speaker: Chi Lo, Senior Market Strategist, BNP Asset Management Moderator: Peter Stein, Chief Executive Officer, ASIFMA
15:20 – 15:50	Coffee Break
15:50 – 16:00	Keynote Speech: Vietnam has been a big beneficiary over the past few years amidst shifting supply chains and a growing middle class. How has it been reforming its capital markets to better support the real economy? What specific measures are being undertaken to elevate Vietnam from its current Frontier Market status to Emerging Market to better attract global capital? Speaker: Luong Hai Sinh, Vice-Chairman, State Securities Commission of Vietnam
16:00 – 16:45	PM Panel 2 Isolation and Regulatory Fragmentation As regulatory frameworks shift towards a more fragmented and domestic focused one, global and regional financial institutions will have to adapt their operating and business model and bear the associated costs.Are these trends a temporary reset or a fundamental paradigm shift? • Implications for key global regulations (FSB, IOSCO, UMR…) and extraterritorial ones (FATFT, FATCA, GDPR, EU BMR….)? • How is that affecting FI’s and FMI’s? • How can they find some common ground to avoid the cost and inefficiencies of a fragmented regulatory landscape? *Panelists:* Hannah Cassidy, Partner, Head of Financial Services Regulatory, Asia, Herbert Smith Freehills Gerard Fitzpatrick, Senior Executive, International Australian Securities and Investments Commission Peter Kruschel, Director, Financial Supervision, Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFiN), Germany Moderator: Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer, National Stock Exchange of India (NSE)
16:45 – 17:15	Fireside Chat: Diversity and Performance: Dr. Carolina Minio Paluello, Chief Executive Officer, Arabesque AI Moderator: Harshika Patel, Chief Executive Officer, JP Morgan Private Bank Asia Pacific
17:15 – 17:20	Closing Remarks: Peter Stein, Chief Executive Officer, ASIFMA

DAY 2: FRIDAY 1ST MARCH 2024 / ASIFMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

09:00 – 09:10	Welcome Remarks: Peter Stein, Chief Executive Officer, ASIFMA
09:10 – 09:25	Keynote Address: Michael Wong, Deputy Financial Secretary, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
09:25 – 10:15	AM Panel 1 Fixed Income: The Dawn of a New Era for the Credit Market With increased interest rates, currency fluctuations and a bleak property market in China, Asian corporates are undoubtedly facing difficulties – domestically and cross-border – to (re)finance their operations. The panel will explore: • The challenges faced by corporate issuers. • The potential diversions of credit from private to public sector (and as a consequence the emergence of Private Credit). • The level of transparency of the market. • The role of credit rating agencies. • The regulatory framework around disclosure, bankruptcy laws and resolution regimes. *Panelists:* Howe Chung Wan, Managing Director and Head of Asian Fixed Income, Principal Asset Management Connie Heng, Regional Managing Partner, Asia Pacific, Clifford Chance Clifford Lee, Global Head of Fixed Income, Treasury and Markets, DBS Bank Alan Roch, Head of Credit for Asia-Pacific, Credit Agricole, CIB Moderator: Philippe Dirckx, Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income, ASIFMA
10:15 – 10:45	Coffee Break
10:45 – 11:45	AM Panel 2 Equities: Solving for the Liquidity Conundrum / Accelerating the Settlement Cycle • Some markets faring better than others. Where have animal spirits gone? • Accelerating the settlement cycle in India and in the US; how might this impact market liquidity? • What are market makers as liquidity providers doing to help? • China outlook for 2024; plans to attract more international liquidity? *Panelists:* Uttam Bagri, Sherpa, India Broker Industry Standards Forum (former Chair of Bombay Brokers Forum) Feng Chen, Director of International Cooperation Department, Shenzhen Stock Exchange Vikram Kothari, Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, NSE Clearing, India Wilson Sin, Managing Director, Optiver China Val Wotton, Managing Director and General Manager, Institutional Trade Processing, DTCC Moderator: Lyndon Chao, Managing Director, Head of Equities and Post Trade, ASIFMA
11:45 – 12:35	AM Panel 3 Asset Managment: Fund Opportunities in Asia • What types of funds are Asian investors buying? • Is it still true that funds have to be sold in Asia? • Are ETFs gaining traction in Asia (where and why)? • Will retailization of long-term investment funds materialize in Asia? • How do fund managers manage fee compression? Panelists: Aarti Angara, Head of APAC Global Product Solutions, Blackrock Steve Chiu, Chief Executive Officer, Asset Management, Principal Hong Kong Youngrae Cho, Chief Operating Officer, Mirae Asset Global Investments Philippe El-Asmar, Managing Director, Head of ETF, Direct & Digital, J.P. Morgan Asset Management Johann Santer, Head of Private Banking, Wealth & Strategic Clients APAC, Fidelity International Moderator: Eugenie Shen, Managing Director, Head of Asset Management Group, ASIFMA
12:35 – 13:35	Lunch Break
13:35 – 13:50	Virtual Keynote Address: Dr Ma Jun, Chairman of Hong Kong Green Finance Association, Chairman of Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking, Chairman of Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI)
13:50 – 14:45	PM Panel 1 What’s Next for the Net-Zero Transition in Asia • What should credible transition plans look like? • What are the main opportunities for transition finance? • How can we make an (early) phasing out coal an investable proposition? • What is the role of Voluntary Carbon Markets and how can we ensure their integrity and legitimacy? • Role of regulators? *Panelists:* Dr Harish Ahuja, Head, PSD, (Carbon and Power Markets), NSE (National Stock Exchange of India) Inarno Djajadi, Chief Executive of Capital Market, Financial Derivatives and Carbon Exchange Supervision, Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK) Rahul Ghosh, Managing Director, Sustainable Finance, Moody’s Investors Service James Turrell, Head of Commodities, Asia Pacific, Citi Eugene Wong, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Finance Institute Asia Moderator: Diana Parusheva, Managing Director, Head of Public Policy & Sustainable Finance, ASIFMA
14:45 – 15:30	PM Panel 2 Generative AI – Cutting Through the Hype • Use-cases, challenges and the industry / regulatory view on the appropriate governance framework. • What are the major opportunities arising from the further implementation of AI in the financial service industry and practical applications? • What are the main incremental risks, challenges, and barriers to further implement AI and how can these challenges be addressed? • What does an appropriate control and governance framework for FI’s look like? • What does an appropriate regulatory environment for generative AI look like? How to best balance innovation and risk mitigation? Panelists: Vivien Hui, Head of Debt Instruments and Listed Products, APAC Legal, Societe Generale Olivier Klein, Chief Technologist for Asia Pacific and Japan, AWS Andrea Pisoni, Head of Data, Group Data Office, OCBC Bank Cecilia Siu, Assistant Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (Legal, Global Affairs and Research), Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data HK Moderator: Laurence Van Der Loo, Managing Director, Head of Technology and Operations, ASIFMA
15:30 – 15:35	Closing Remarks: Philippe Dirckx, Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income, ASIFMA

SPEAKERS

Industry experts and senior representatives from sell-side and buy-side communities, law firms/ consultants/ vendors, global and Asian policy makers, regulators and central banks.

At ASIFMA, we are committed to ensuring diversity and inclusion in our workplace and this policy is applied in all areas of our business including speaker roles at our events and conferences. We wish to work with members and partners who share this same commitment and are willing to support this policy. For more details about the event or if you would like to join the speaking faculty, please contact Claire Souleyman at csouleyman@asifma.org

REGISTRATION

TICKET INFORMATION
	EU-Asia Dialogue Only	EU-Asia Dialogue + ASIFMA Annual Conference ** Ticket is transferable	ASIFMA Annual Conference Only **Ticket is transferable
ASIFMA Members / Endorser Members	US$450.00	US$950.00	US$700.00
Non ASIFMA Members	US$550.00	US$1,100.00	US$800.00

By registering to this event organised by ASIFMA, you agree that your contact details will be made available to ASIMFA, our event sponsors, and partners. Your contact details may be used to inform you of future related events, products, and services.

*All registrations require final approval by ASIFMA and ASIFMA reserves the right to cancel or decline any registration at any time.

**Ticket is transferrable (a maximum of one time). Delegate must first scan out of the conference to facilitate the ticket transfer to a new attendee.

Media contact

This event is open to the press. For media inquiries, please contact Corliss Ruggles at (cruggles@asifma.org).

GALA DINNER

EU-ASIA FINANCIAL SERVICES DIALOGUE / COCKTAILS AND GALA DINNER
WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2024
Watermark, Central Pier 7, Hong Kong

Working Agenda (subject to change)**

6.00pm – 7.00pm: Cocktail Reception (balcony)
7.00pm – 7.10pm: Welcome Remarks: Nickolas Reinhardt, Director, Afore Consulting & Peter Stein, Chief Executive Officer, ASIFMA

7.15pm – 7.23pm: Keynote Speech 1/Jean-Paul Servais, Chair of IOSCO, Chair FSMA

7.25pm – 7.33pm: Keynote Speech 2/Paulina Dejmek Hack, Director General Affairs, European Commission, DG FISMA

7.35pm – 7.43pm: Keynote Speech 3/ Pornanong Budsaratragoon, Secretary General, The Securities and Exchange Commission, Thailand

^Please see our website for the latest timings/agenda.

ASIFMA and Afore Consulting are delighted to be hosting the EU-Asia Financial Services Dialogue Gala Dinner and Cocktails on the 28^th February at the iconic Watermark restaurant at Central harbourfront. The dinner brings together executive participants from the EU-Asia Financial Services Dialogue to mingle and network against Hong Kong’s stunning harbour backdrop. Guests will hear from keynote speakers including Jean-Paul Servais, Chair of IOSCO and Paulina Dejmek Hack, Director of General Affairs, European Commission, DG FISMA, in this small and exclusive gathering (venue is limited to 10 tables).

To reserve a table to the Gala Dinner, please contact Joy Balboa at jbalboa@asifma.org