Thailand Wealth Management Forum 2019

We were delighted to host our 8th annual event in Bangkok for the Wealth Management Community, where more than 300 CEOs, COOs, and other senior practitioners attended – from a mix of local and international Private Banks, Retail Banks, Insurance Companies, Independent Firms & Family Offices, Asset Management Companies, 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
Exclusive Insights
Testimonials
I Love Wealth Management
Photos
Event summary
Panel discussions
Presentations & Workshops
Videos
Post event Supplement

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 

Immense Opportunity as Wealth Expands Rapidly and The Onshore Proposition Evolves
Hubbis is delighted to have successfully hosted our 8th annual event in Thailand for the Private Wealth Management Community.

Video Highlights

We asked leading industry experts - what are the opportunities and challenges for the year ahead? View the combined video highlights, or click on the links to view the individual videos.

Full Video Highlights
Video Highlights Summary PDF
I Love Wealth Management
Testimonials

Dr. Jon Wongswan, Head of Investment Solutions, Phatra Securities
Benjarong Techamuanvivit, First Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning Division, Kasikorn Asset Management
Prapatpong Weeramon, Managing Director, Amundi Asset Management
Evrard Bordier, CEO and Managing Partner, Bordier & Cie
Simon Lints, CEO - Singapore, Schroders Wealth Management
Dominic Volek, Managing Partner, Head Southeast Asia, Henley & Partners
Trawut Luangsomboon, Chief Executive Officer, Jitta
Damian Hitchen, Chief Executive Officer, Middle East & Asia, Swissquote
Dominic Gamble, Head of Asia Pacific, Wealth Dynamix
Shadab Taiyabi, Senior Executive, Strategic Partnership, Quantifeed
Aleksey Mironenko, Partner & Chief Distribution Officer, Premia Partners
Steffen Ahlers, Chief Executive Officer, MFEX Mutual Funds Exchange AB
Tuck Meng Yee, Head of Investment Solutions Asia, Allfunds
Ivan Pelle, Executive Director, International Taxation, RGN
Irene Lee, Business Development Director, Intermediary and Partnership, Hawksford
Darren Thomson, Chief Strategic Bancassurance Officer, AIA
Samdarshi Sumit, Chief Retail Officer, Retail Business, Generali
 

Exclusive Insights ​​​ ​​​ ​​​

We asked leading industry experts for their exclusive and incisive insights. Click on the links to view the individual videos:

Exclusive Insights PDF

Benjarong Techamuanvivit, First Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning Division, Kasikorn Asset Management
What are some of the tax changes that we will see soon in Thailand - and how will they effect the industry?
Open architecture in Thailand – myth or reality?

Ivan Pelle, Executive Director, International Taxation, RGN
What are the recent developments we have seen in CRS / AEOI?

Heena Mayani, Head of Client Relations, APAC, Global Precious Metals
Why are private clients in Thailand interested in investing in Physical gold?

Dr. Jon Wongswan, Head of Investment Solutions, Phatra Securities
Where will the continued growth come from and what are your priorities?
What can you do to improve the value proposition in wealth management?

Evrard Bordier, CEO and Managing Partner, Bordier & Cie
Offshore / onshore. Where is the long-term opportunity?

Simon Lints, CEO - Singapore, Schroders Wealth Management
Where will the continued growth come from for Schroders Wealth Management and what are your priorities?

Dominic Volek, Managing Partner, Head Southeast Asia, Henley & Partners
Why is the Investment Migration industry booming in SE Asia?
Where do your clients come from?
Why do PBs/IAMs work with Henley & Partners?

Trawut Luangsomboon, Chief Executive Officer, Jitta
What digital expectations do clients have in Thailand?
What’s the role of technology and AI in Thai wealth management?

Damian Hitchen, Chief Executive Officer, Middle East & Asia, Swissquote
What does the word ‘platform’ mean to you?
Why is Swissquote here at the Thai forum?

Steffen Ahlers, Chief Executive Officer, MFEX Mutual Funds Exchange AB
How can MFEX help wealth and asset managers with their diversification and asset allocation?

Dominic Gamble, Head of Asia Pacific, Wealth Dynamix
How can we get better at using data and CRM in wealth management?

Tuck Meng Yee, Head of Investment Solutions Asia, Allfunds
What lessons have we learnt in fund selection over the last 20 years?
How is fund selection generally done?

Aleksey Mironenko, Partner & Chief Distribution Officer, Premia Partners
How can you unearth hidden gems in China and ASEAN?

Shadab Taiyabi, Senior Executive, Strategic Partnership, Quantifeed
Scaling wealth management – how important is digital in achieving this?

Irene Lee, Business Development Director, Intermediary and Partnership, Hawksford
What challenges do Thai families have and how is that changing?

Darren Thomson, Chief Strategic Bancassurance Officer, AIA
How are the insurance products and solutions offered by Insurance companies developing in Thailand?

Samdarshi Sumit, Chief Retail Officer, Retail Business, Generali
What is the value proposition of insurance for wealth management industry in Thailand?

Panel Discussions 

We held 5 interactive panel discussions throughout the day – which involved 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.

Private Wealth Management in Thailand and in Asia Amidst a Time of Dramatic Change
Our panel discussed some of the critical changes taking place in the Asian wealth management industry, how Thailand’s competitive landscape is changing, and how local firms can adapt to secure their future success.

Panel Members
Simon Lints Chief Executive Officer - Singapore. Schroders Wealth Management
Silvio Struebi Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
Evrard Bordier CEO and Managing Partner, Bordier & Cie
Dr. Jon Wongswan Head of Investment Solutions - Wealth Management, Phatra Securities

Platforms and Technology: Into the Digital Future of Wealth Management in Asia
Panellists at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Management Forum put their heads together to discuss the emerging digitalisation trends in wealth management. Symbiotic partnerships, the prudent use of digital advances as well as ensuring clients feel supported were top priorities in surviving these increasingly tech-reliant times.

Panel members
Trawut Luangsomboon Chief Executive Officer, Jitta
Nicolas Huras Head of Sales and Relationship Management, APAC - UBS Fondcenter, UBS Asset Management
Damian Hitchen Chief Executive Officer, Middle East & Asia, Swissquote
Namit Khanna Sales Director - SEA & India, Finantix
Kelvin Lim Head of Business Development, Asia, IRESS
Marie-Pascale Bonhomme Head of Partnerships Development, Asia, Amundi Asset Management
Steffen Ahlers Chief Executive Officer, MFEX Mutual Funds Exchange AB

The Rising Prominence of Wealth Solutions and Planning for Asia’s HNWIs
A panel of experts gave their insights to the increasingly important subject of encouraging Asia’s HNWIs and their families to organise robust, compliant wealth and legacy planning.

Panel members
Premrudee Parinayok Assistant Vice President, Wealth Management, Phatra Wealth Management
Darren Thomson Chief Strategic Bancassurance Officer, AIA
Samdarshi Sumit Chief Retail Officer, Retail Business, Generali
Irene Lee Business Development Director, Intermediary and Partnership, Hawksford
Edmund Lim Executive Director - Wealth Management, Swiss-Asia Financial Services
Jeroen Simons Director, High Net Worth Business Development, Sun Life Financial
Sebastien Hayoz Managing Director, Asiaciti Trust

Thailand: Investing at Home and Abroad in Uncertain and Challenging Markets
Our panel of experts gave their valuable insights into the investment market in Thailand at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Management Forum. The mood was largely positive, with expectations of greater liberalisation to encourage foreign investment, a gradual move towards passive funds, towards ESG and impact investing and towards more sophisticated structured investments at home.

Panel members
Yingyong Chiaravutthi Head of Investments, Prudential Life Assurance
Benjarong Techamuanvivit First Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning Division, Kasikorn Asset Management
Cholathee Pornrojnangkool Senior Vice President, Micro Segment Management - Consumer Banking, Bangkok Bank

Thailand: Interesting and Relevant Investment Solutions for the Wealth Management Market
A diverse panel of investment and markets experts at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Management Forum picked their way through various strategies that investors might consider, from multi-asset to China, to precious metals and resources.

Panel members
Carmen Cheung Head of ETF & Index Team, Samsung Asset Management
Tony Wong Head of Wealth Solutions, Sales & Product Strategy, CSOP Asset Management
Mehak Dua Business Development, GMO
Frank Benzimra Head of Asia Equity Strategy, Global Asset Allocation, Societe Generale
Christophe Numa Director, Bunker Gold & Silver

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.

Bordier & Cie: Championing the Partnership Model for Private Banking in Asia
Evrard Bordier, Singapore CEO and Managing Partner of Swiss private bank Bordier & Cie, knows that as a boutique firm working within a landscape of dramatic change for private banking, the bank must position itself smartly and strategically to achieve its expansion goals in APAC. He told delegates at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Management Forum why his firm is working with banks across the region on new partnerships to help them develop their private banking models, thereby fast-tracking those partners’ local private banking propositions and the Bordier & Cie business across the region.
View slides

Investment Migration and the Asian HNWI – A World of Choice on Offer
Dominic Volek, Managing Partner and Head of Southeast Asia at investment migration consultancy Henley & Partners, gave both a head to head interview and a Workshop presentation to delegates at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Management Forum in Bangkok. He highlighted Henley’s long history in the specialised field of global citizenship and residence planning and explained that more and more of Asia’s wealthy are taking these alternatives.  Henley’s activities span the private practice, which focuses on the needs of high net worth (HNW) and ultra-HNW clients who seek secondary residence or citizenship through investment, as well as the government practice, where Henley works with countries to design, implement and promote their individual programmes.
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Global Precious Metals’ Mathier Extols the Virtues of Physical Gold
Nicolas Mathier, Managing Partner of Global Precious Metals, met with Hubbis founder and CEO Michael Hubbis at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Solutions event to discuss why Asia’s wealthy investors should hold more physical gold. Gold, he said, offsets the volatility in the mainstream financial markets and it also mitigates the risks of the global financial system frailties and the expanding global regulation, as it remains outside the global financial and regulatory infrastructure.

How to Improve Vital Touchpoints in Wealth Management through Digitalisation
Krzysztof Maurer, Managing Director of IT solutions provider Comarch, is one of the leaders in spearheading the firm’s thrust into the wealth management and financial sectors in Asia. He took the opportunity of presenting to delegates, explaining how as clients evolve, well-thought-through digitalisation is more critical than ever. Improving the customer experience is not enough to stand out on the market, he told the audience, and stressed how employee experience is just as important a driver in the growth of businesses in the wealth management, or indeed any, sector.
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Dominic Gamble of Wealth Dynamix: ‘Have You Forgotten About Your Clients?’
Dominic Gamble, the Singapore-based Head of Asia Pacific at fintech Wealth Dynamix, spoke to the delegates to alert them to certain advantages and dangers of digital transformation. He warned that wealth management firms should be careful not to lose track of their client and their needs. He advised that optimised data storage protocols are vital. And he proposed that to future-proof their businesses, they must empower their sales forces with bespoke solutions.
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The Vital Importance of Fund Selection and Lessons Learned from Experience
Tuck Meng Yee, Head of Investment Solutions Asia at fund distributor Allfunds, knows just how vital it is for Asia’s high-net-worth investors and intermediaries to select the funds they invest in wisely, amidst a proliferation of choice the world has witnessed in the past two decades and more. He gave a presentation at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Management Forum in Bangkok to explain the principles and how working with Allfunds can help achieve more optimal outcomes for HNWIs.
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IMTF: Expanding its RegTech Solutions Asia-Wide as Compliance Needs Surge
Jordan Lo, Senior Project Manager at Swiss RegTech leader IMTF, believes that wealth management firms wanting to compete effectively in tomorrow’s world must adopt forward-looking technologies to tackle key business challenges such as client onboarding, identity/name screening, AML and fraud prevention. He gave a presentation to explain why appropriate investment in these areas results in cost-effective solutions, cohesive business operational benefits and enables enhanced end-to-end user experiences. In particular, he highlighted IMTF’s state-of-the-art identity-matching solutions.
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Choosing the right investment product for the current market environment
Marc Waldhof, Sales Investment Solutions at structured products firms Leonteq Securities gave a presentation to offer delegates insights into structured product solutions that offer an ideal fit for the prevailing global financial market conditions. Structured products (SPs) can ideally complement the portfolios of the HNW client and both provide upside potential, downside protection and recovery from loss.
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Emerging Markets, Finding the Gems on Offer in China and ASEAN
Like his colleagues at ETF creator and distributor Premia Partners, Aleksey Mironenko is passionate about the Hong Kong firm’s strategies to unearth the value available in China ‘A’ shares and in the ASEAN stock markets. In his capacity as Partner & Chief Distribution Officer for Premia, he gave a presentation at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Management Forum to highlight opportunities in China new economy shares, in innovative ASEAN companies and in the firm’s forthcoming Vietnam ETF. His broad thesis is that global EM is in a positive phase, that ASEAN and China are at an even better stage and that investors can find optimal routes to these opportunities through Premia’s growing stock of strategies.
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Building Scale in the Wealth Management Offering with the Help of Seamless Digital Automation
Shadab Taiyabi, Senior Executive, Strategic Partnership at Quantifeed, gave a presentation to explain how Quantifeed can help build wealth advisory firms achieve scale using new digital and robo-advisory solutions. This is especially important in an environment such as Asia where private wealth is rising so rapidly and where competition for the attention of the mass-affluent market is so intense.

Where Are We Now? RGN Reviews the State of Play for CRS and AEOI Rollout
Ivan Pelle, Executive Director, International Taxation at Swiss investment management solutions firm Recontam Global Network (RGN) is on a mission to make its clients and partners aware of the rollout of CRS and AEOI across Asia-Pacific and how this might affect tax planning and investment strategies. He addressed the audience at the Hubbis Thailand Wealth Management Forum to update them on the timetable for countries, including Thailand, to participate and comply fully with the new CRS and AEOI conventions, and also how these affect taxation planning and citizenship or residency by investment initiatives.
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