Middle East Wealth Management Forum 2018

We were delighted to host our third Middle East Wealth Management event in Dubai.  Over 275 CEOs, COOs, CIOs, senior management, asset managers, and advisors attended – from a mix of Private Banks, Retail Banks, Asset Management, Insurance Companies, Independent Firms & Family Offices, and IFAs.

Below for your interest and reference are links to various content we captured from the day. Please click on the orange headlines – and do send any comments or feedback to [email protected].

Content Highlights 

Video Highlights
Video Highlights Summary PDF
Photos
Event summary
Panel discussions
Presentations & Wealth TALKS
Videos

Post-event Report

You might also like to view the full Post-Event Report – which is a consolidated summary, including photos of speakers & delegates, the attendee profiles & some delegate feedback, polling results, and more. 

Event Summary 

Middle East Wealth Management on Track for Growth and Evolution

The Hubbis Middle East Wealth Management Forum on January 24 proved an enormous success with sponsors, speakers and delegates. The discussions ranged from wealth management strategies to legacy planning to compliance to technology to investment opportunities.    

Video Highlights

At the Forum we interviewed leading industry experts. 
Full Video Highlights
Video Highlights Summary PDF
I love wealth management

Their individual interviews can be accessed below: 

Akhil Chaturvedi, Motilal Oswal Asset Management
Anthony Jaganathan, Emirates NBD
Damian Hitchen, Swissquote
David Russell AM, QC, Outer Temple Chambers
Deepak Ahuja, RAKBANK
Deepak Mehra, Commercial Bank of Dubai
Edward Lopez, JHC Financial
Graham Morrall, Hansard International
Jennifer Hansen, Saxo Markets
Karim Ghandour, LegacyLine Family Office
Laurence Black, Asiaciti Trust
Nick Savastano, Invesco
Philip Cernik, Friends Provident International
Philip Story, Investors Trust
Shiraz Habib, National Bank of Abu Dhabi
Sofia Moto, re/think
Tariq Bin Hendi, Emirates NBD
Timothy Searle, Globaleye
Walter Jopp, Zurich International Life

Panel Discussions 

We held 6 interactive panel discussions throughout the day – which involved 35 senior industry practitioners who we invited to participate and share their thoughts. We have also incorporated into the summaries below the briefing notes which speakers sent to us in advance of the event. Plus, we have included the results of audience polling as well as questions we received from delegates. Click on each headline to view the PDFs.

How can Wealth Management Improve its Core Proposition?
The UAE wealth management sector is enjoying robust growth, but can the UAE become a top-flight wealth centre? A panel of experts debated in the first panel of the Hubbis Middle East Wealth Management Forum in Dubai on January 24.

Panel Members
Sandeep Singh, Senior Director, Regional Head Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Franklin Templeton Investments
Mandeep Nalwa, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Taurus Wealth Advisors
Daffer Luqman, Global Head of Liabilities & Wealth Management, Retail Banking Group, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
Deepak Ahuja, Director of Wealth Management, Bancassurance & Mortgages, RAKBANK
Biswajit Dasgupta, Chief Investment Officer, Head of Global Markets, Emirates Investment Bank

Family Businesses in the GCC – the Challenges They Face
Wealthy families in the GCC face many tough challenges, the most pressing of which relate to increasing tax compliance demands, as well as succession planning. Our second Hubbis Middle East Wealth Management panel of January 24 highlighted many of the key issues.

Panel members
David Varley, Chief High Net Worth Officer, Sun Life Hong Kong, Sun Life Financial
Muneer Khan, Partner, Financial Regulatory Practice, Simmons & Simmons
David Russell AM QC, Barrister at Law, Outer Temple Chambers
Karim Ghandour, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, LegacyLine Family Office
Yann Mrazek, Managing Partner, M/HQ
Laurence Black, Regional Director, Client Solutions, EMEA, Asiaciti Trust
Vinod Krishnan, Managing Director, Arch Corporation

How do Wealth Management Firms Future Proof their Businesses?
How will wealth management firms employ technology and digital solutions to improve their business? Can the wealth providers effectively integrate the fintech and RegTech solutions available? These and other matters were scrutinised in detail.

Panel members
F. Edward Lopez, Chief Revenue Officer, JHC Financial
Anthony Jaganathan, Head of Operations & Middle Office, Wealth Management, Emirates NBD
Damian Hitchen, Chief Executive Officer, Middle East & Asia, Swissquote
Sofia Mota, Director and Head of Regulatory and Compliance Services, re/think
George Triplow, Executive Director, MENA Wealth & Asset Management Leader, EY
Thomas Buemsen, Managing Director, Middle East, Dorsum
Jennifer Hansen, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales Strategy and Execution, Saxo Markets

The Insurance Wake-up Call: Developing Better Customer Outcomes
Educating the HNW customer base as to the best products and structuring fair, client-friendly solutions are both opportunities and challenges, especially when life insurance and critical illness cover are yet to gain much traction.

Panel members
Walter Jopp, Chief Executive Officer, Middle East, Zurich International Life
Philip Cernik, Chief Marketing Officer, Middle East & Africa, Friends Provident International
Graham Morrall, Global Sales and Marketing Director, Hansard International
Timothy Searle, Chairman, Globaleye
Philip Story, Head of Distribution, EMEA, Investor's Trust
James Ferguson, Senior Financial Planner, Guardian Wealth Management

Creating Outcomes in the Best Interests of the Client
A need to raise competency and professional standards, as well as a desire to create favourable outcomes for the client, indicate that the development of new suitable products and services are at the forefront of the wealth industry’s priorities.

Panel members

Tariq Bin Hendi, Executive Vice President, Head of Products & Advisory, Emirates NBD
Deepak Mehra, Head of Advisory, Treasury and Asset Management, General Management, Commercial Bank of Dubai
Shiraz Habib, Executive Director, Head of Investment Products & Solutions, First Abu Dhabi Bank

Optimistic Experts Survey the World of Investment Opportunities  
The final panel discussion of the day at the Hubbis Middle East Wealth Management Forum focused on the investment opportunities wealth providers are promoting, in the region and globally. The dominant theme was optimism.

Panel members
Yunus Selant, Regional Manager Middle East & Africa, Allfunds Bank
Nick Savastano, Head of Offshore Global Life Groups and Middle East Financial Institutions, Invesco
Iheshan Faasee, Client Portfolio Manager, Russell Investments
Dhiraj Rai, Director, Gulf & Eastern Mediterranean, Franklin Templeton Investments
Akhil Chaturvedi, Executive Vice President, Head of Sales and Distribution, Motilal Oswal Asset Management
Faisal Hasan, CFA, Chief Business Development Officer, Head of Investment Research, KAMCO
Scott Littlewood, Fund Manager, Helvetic Investments

Presentations 

Below are summaries of the Presentations and Wealth TALKS delivered at the event. These were 10-minute slots hosted either by senior industry practitioners who we invited to speak (Wealth TALKS), or by some of our event partners (Presentations). Also listed with each summary are links to the presentation slides (where these are made available by speakers). Click on each headline to view the web versions of these – from which you can also access the 1-page PDFs.

The Consumer Revolution, Insurance and Wealth Management
Peter Huber, CEO of Zurich International Life, opened the Hubbis Middle East Wealth Management Forum with a thought-provoking address on insurance.

Residence and citizenship opportunities
Bata Racic of Henley & Partners discussed why secondary residence or citizenship is so compelling for wealthy business people and families from the Middle East region. In an unsettled, ever-changing world, it is an insurance policy for the future.
View Slides

Islamic Legacy Planning – Evolution or Revolution?
The typical GCC merchant family is facing many challenges to the maintenance, expansion and inter-generational transitioning of their wealth. Yann Mrahez, Managing Partner at UAE multi-services advisory firm M/HQ, believes that the time has come to change outmoded mindsets.
View Slides

Wealth Protection and Succession Solutions for Wealth Families
Laurence Black, Regional Director, Client Solutions, EMEA for Asiaciti Trust, is in the business of ‘trust’ and knows that dynastic planning is vital to ensure family harmony and personal legacy aspirations.
View Slides

Digital Delivery of Wealth Management – the Era of the Platform
Swiss bank Swissquote serves its entire global client base of more than 350,000 customers entirely through a digital interface. Damian Hitchen, CEO for the Middle East and Asia, believes the digital revolution has much further to go.
View Slides

Managing Wealth for a New Generation
Tariq Bin Hendi, Executive Vice President and Head of Products and Advisory for Emirates NBD, discussed the challenges that lie ahead for Private Banking as a new generation of high net-worth clients stand to inherit the World.

Hybrid AI and Human Solutions in Digital Wealth Management
Thomas Buemsen, Managing Director for the Middle East at investment software provider Dorsum, is on a mission to convert wealth management institutions to the world of AI. But not ‘extreme AI’.  
View Slides

Developing technology strategies for the mass affluent and HNW sectors
Jennifer Hansen, Global Head of Sales Strategy & Execution at Saxo Markets, is at the cutting edge of digitisation in wealth management. She has a bird’s eye view of the digital revolution.
View Slides

A Matter of Life and Death
Philip Cernik, Chief Marketing Officer for the Middle East & Africa at Friends Provident International, knows that expats residing in the UAE need to structure their estates carefully.
View Slides

Investing in India
Aashish Somaiyaa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Motilal Oswal Asset Management, discussed how the rapidly increasing GDP in India has led to the dramatic growth of disposable income, particularly benefitting investment in the financial and consumer sectors.
View Slides

Retirement Financial Planning: Obstacle or Opportunity?
Szymon Idzikowski, Fund Analyst at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, is concerned about the poor financial understanding and preparation for retirement. 
View Slides

Testimonials

“Excellent event, well organised, it was well very attended too. The topics discussed were very much relevant to current market conditions and will provide insights to audience. Well done – Team Hubbis !”
Deepak Ahuja, Director - Wealth Management & Mortgages, RAKBANK

“This was our first opportunity of working with Hubbis. [The Hubbis Middle East Wealth Management Forum] was a fun event – and from a sponsor’s perspective good value.  The team seem quite receptive to feedback and it’s been good to see the event improve year-on-year. The forum was attended by a broad spectrum of wealth management players – including good representation from regional and domestic banks”
Nick Savastano, Head of Offshore Global Life Groups and Middle East Financial Institutions, Invesco

“I want to thank everyone at Hubbis for making this year’s Middle East Wealth Management Forum a real success. It really makes a difference to work with people who know what they are doing and are willing to do what it takes to make it happen. I appreciate the chance to be part of it.”
Bata Racic, Manager, Henley & Partners

"Conferences organised by Hubbis go well beyond a networking opportunity. Michael and his team manage a very professional conference which results in Senior Executives attending and sharing their thoughts through presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions. It is always a pleasure to be part of their conference in Dubai because I am rest assured that I will gain deeper insight into topical issues and meet new business acquaintances."
Mandeep Nalwa, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Taurus Wealth Advisors

"The Hubbis Middle East Wealth Management Forum 2018 was both an interesting forum to share ideas and a tremendous opportunity to learn and keep up with industry trends."
Laurence Black, Regional Director, Client Solutions, EMEA, Asiaciti Trust