Name: Unveiling the Biodiversity Paradigm: from Reporting to Investment Integration
Start: 2023-07-11T14:00:00Z
End: 2023-07-11T14:00:58.000Z
Location: BrightTALK
Rating: 4.5

This webcast channel is for pension funds and other institutional investment professionals in Europe, the USA and Asia. It is particularly relevant for pension fund executives, trustees, consultants and investment managers. IPE will be bringing its community live interviews with leading figures in the market, hosting roundtable discussions on specific topics such as asset allocation and also sharing latest thought-leadership from investment experts.

With multiple macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds impacting markets, tune in to hear about how such challenges can offer a rich opportunity set for a special situations investment strategy. 
 
Topics covered include:

• The evolution of special situations in light of the current economic cycle. 
• Why the middle market in particular offers an attractive segment.
• The current opportunity set across stressed, distressed and event-driven credit. 
• How a special situations/distressed debt strategy can provide access to a diversified pool of idiosyncratic investments uncorrelated to each other and risk assets in general.

Stress before distress: opportunities in the European mid-market

In the face of substantial headwinds resulting from multiple factors — including macro risks from foreign conflict, domestic instability, and a global pandemic, a generational supply/demand imbalance, and elevated inflation due to an unprecedented rising interest rate environment — the housing market remains remarkably resilient.

Property values continue to increase across the country, and this has led to record levels of home equity; in fact, over a decade of consistent annualized home appreciation has spurred ~250% growth in owner’s equity since the end of the Great Financial Crisis, but few ways to leverage it without taking on debt.

Subsequently, an innovative opportunity for both investors and homeowners to access this equity has emerged in the form of home equity investments (HEIs), a burgeoning secondary market on the heels of a first of its kind rating methodology. This financing solution:
● Offers similar value to second lien originations, without impacting disposable income
● Provides capital markets structured exposure to appreciation, minus the downsides of homeownership
● Features muted interest rate sensitivity that isn’t correlated to equities
● Serves as an inflation hedge
● Engages diverse pools of homeowners and more.

Join Jeff Glass, Chief Executive Officer of home equity investor Hometap, and Paul Fielding, Chief Operating Officer of venture capital firm General Catalyst, for this webcast, where they’ll discuss the growing popularity and advantages of home equity investments for investors and homeowners alike — and how you can begin to participate in this exciting asset class.

Home Equity Investments: An Untapped Asset Class

Climate change is widely recognized as one of the most important and complex risk factors faced by pension funds in the foreseeable future. Its fundamental uncertainty has seen pension funds employing scenario analysis to assess and analyze the potential climate risks within their investment portfolios and strategies. This has led to the emerging practice of combining and integrating results from climate risk analysis and traditional investment risk analysis, which has encountered a variety of challenges.

Notwithstanding these challenges alongside the volume of potential impact, Ortec Finance, a global provider of technology and solutions for risk and return management for pensions funds across the UK and Europe, has actively progressed to further integrate climate risks into investment decision-making.

Join us for a special presentation where Ortec Finance will discuss their approach and how they have addressed these unique challenges. They will explore:

• The differences between climate risks and traditional economic and investment risks
• How these differences are linked to the challenges in combining ‘what if’ deterministic climate scenarios with traditional stochastic economic scenarios
• How these challenges can be addressed by effectively utilizing climate scenarios
• Climate scenarios’ additional value in quantifying potential financial impacts for strategic asset allocation and stress-testing purposes

Who should attend?
• Chief Investment Officers, Heads of Investment, Heads of Risk, Heads of Asset and Liability Management
• Investment and Responsible Investment teams
• Risk teams
• Sustainable Finance teams
• Asset and Liability Management teams

Integrating climate change into investment decision-making

The Asia Pacific and Middle East region is home to 60% of the world's population, but only accounts for 35% of today’s global real estate market. This disparity is creating attractive investment opportunities, especially as the region’s share of global GDP, forecast to be over 50% by 2030, continues to rise.

Brookfield has been investing in Asia Pacific for over 15 years, with established investment and operating teams in Australia, China, Japan, India, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Join Brookfield’s Ankur Gupta, Head of Real Estate in Asia Pacific and Middle East, Andrew Burych, Head of Real Estate in East Asia, and Sophie Fallman, Head of Real Estate in Australia, as they share what they are seeing on the ground, and how they expect current market dynamics to drive near-term investment opportunities.

Themes to be explored include:

- Growing economies: The Asia Pacific markets constitute some of the fastest-growing, largest economies in the world, with the region’s share of global GDP growth already exceeding 70%;

 - Supportive macro policies: Strong fundamentals, accommodative monetary policies, and a broad economic re-opening have created a positive investing environment;

- Resilient real estate fundamentals: Demographic trends and rising consumer wealth are leading to robust real estate demand generators; and,
 
- Global capital market disruption: Uncertainty in capital markets is causing distress for undercapitalized owners around the world, translating into attractive investment opportunities, with transaction activity expected to increase through 2024.

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Speakers:
Ankur Gupta, Head of Real Estate in Asia Pacific and Middle East, Brookfield
Andrew Burych, Head of Real Estate in East Asia, Brookfield
Sophie Fallman, Head of Real Estate in Australia, Brookfield

Moderated by Brendan Maton, IPE

Asia Pacific & Middle East Opportunistic Real Estate – Brookfield’s Perspective

Value investing historically has delivered substantial excess returns to institutional investors, albeit with a higher carbon footprint as value stocks often come from carbon-intensive sectors. However, the success of a value portfolio hinges significantly on its design. Join our experts as they explore effective strategies to unlock value while meeting your sustainability objectives.

Key topics include:

• The long-term potential of value investing in Europe.
• Synergies between value, quality and momentum to improve-risk adjusted returns.
• Ways to achieve substantial reduction in the carbon footprint without altering the value profile of your portfolio.

Presented by:
– Guido Baltussen, Ph.D, Head Of Quantitative Strategies, International, Northern Trust Asset Management
– Julie Moret, Global Head of Sustainable Investing Integration, Northern Trust Asset Management

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Important information: This material is directed to professional and eligible counterparties only and should not be relied upon by retail investors. The information is not intended for distribution or use by any person in any jurisdiction where such distribution would be contrary to local law or regulation. Northern Trust Asset Management (NTAM) is composed of Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (NTI), Northern Trust Global Investments Limited (NTGIL), Northern Trust Fund Managers (Ireland) Limited (NTFMIL), Northern Trust Global Investments Japan, K.K. (NTKK), NT Global Advisors, Inc., 50 South Capital Advisors, LLC, , Northern Trust Asset Management Australia Pty Ltd and investment personnel of The Northern Trust Company of Hong Kong Limited (TNTCHK) and The Northern Trust Company (TNTC).

© 2024 Northern Trust Corporation. Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A. Issued in the United Kingdom by Northern Trust Global Investments Limited. Issued in the EEA by Northern Trust Fund Managers (Ireland) Limited.

Redefining Value Investing: How to Achieve Performance and Decarbonization

After a stellar performance in 2023 – what is driving the EM Debt market in remaining 2024?
 
2023 was an excellent year for the Emerging Market Debt asset class. At the end of last year, first central banks in EM started to lower interest rates. Beginning of this year the trend continued. What are the expectations for the remaining year 2024 and what is the sweet spot for investments in the asset class? Follow us and the presenter Michael Vander Elst, Senior Portfolio Manager Emerging Market Debt, Degroof Petercam Asset Management, in this Webinar on 26th April for the details.

AGENDA

Begrüßung und Einleitung
Frank Schnattinger, Chefredakteur
IPE D.A.CH

Präsentation (in English)
Michael Vander Elst – Senior Portfolio Manager Emerging Market Debt
Degroof Petercam Asset Management

Q&A

IPE D.A.CH-Webinar „EM Debt: What is driving the market in remaining 2024“

We are still in the relatively early days of nature featuring as a theme in institutional investment. Still, the direction seems one-way despite potential US and European political headwinds. A key facet of the nature-related investment drive is reporting and disclosure, with a transition from voluntary to mandatory disclosure requirements likely to continue. But nature is also positioned as a must, or opportunity, for stewardship by the private sector. Since last year’s webinar, IPE Focus on Biodiversity 2023, the Taskforce on Nature-related Disclosures (TNFD) has developed its framework for businesses and investors, while two collaborative investor engagement initiatives have been launched. This year’s virtual forum explores what these developments offer investors.

10:00 Welcome
Susanna Rust - Deputy News Editor, IPE

10:05 Keynote
Paul Simpson OBE - Partner - Climate Change & Sustainability, ERM

10:20 Blue Bonds: A Growing Resource for Sustainability Financing
 Samy Muaddi - Head of Emerging Markets Fixed Income. 

10:35 In Debt to Nature – Pricing Nature-Related Risk into Bond Portfolios 
Justine Leigh-Bell - Executive Director, Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute
Moritz Kraemer - Chief Economist and Head of Research at LBBW Bank, Senior Fellow of the Center for Sustainable Finance at SOAS University Of London
 
11:00 Panel: TNFD - Lessons from Early Adopters
Johan Florén - Chief ESG & Communication Officer, AP7 and Member, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, AP7
Arild Skedsmo - Senior Advisor, KLP Asset Management

11:25 Panel: Seeking Progress Through Engagement
Robin Millington - CEO, Planet Tracker
Matthias Narr - Head Engagement International, Ethos Foundation

11:50 Case Studies
Emma Godefroy, Research Officer, Biodiversity Footprint for Financial Institutions, CDC Biodiversité 
Vemund Olsen - Senior analyst, Sustainable Investments, Storebrand Asset Management

12:10 Seminar Wrap

Full agenda: www.ipe.com/natural-capital

Natural Capital - Data, Disclosure and Stewardship

In their 15-year history cryptocurrencies have evolved from a niche technology innovation to a globally recognized asset class. Today, cryptocurrencies make up more than 70bps of the global market portfolio (The Global Market Portfolio, DWS Research Institute, 09/2023). Cryptocurrencies’ ever-growing innovative use cases and increasing institutionalization warrant a closer look for well diversified investors. In this webcast, Xtrackers, jointly with its strategic ally and digital asset-native company Galaxy Digital, will provide an introduction to cryptocurrencies’ value propositions, discuss current trends in the cryptocurrency ecosystem and present cryptocurrency portfolio allocation analyses. Join Xtrackers and Galaxy to learn more about this innovative and dynamic asset class. 

Presented by:
– Barbara Schlyter, Head of Xtrackers Digital Products and Partnerships 
– Su Lee, Product Specialist at Galaxy Asset Management 
– Angelina Kostyrina, Multi Asset Portfolio Manager DWS

Moderated by Brendan Maton

A Bit of Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency value propositions & allocation considerations

We present a quantum leap in this respect: to use quantitative research and machine learning supported by solid academic credentials to produce the data that private markets need to measure value and risk, as you would in listed asset classes.
 
In this webinar, we’ll show you:

• A sophisticated classification taxonomy of private assets that precisely captures the characteristics and nuances of private assets.

• How model-based valuation anchoring data can solve the perennial problem of “stale NAVs”, allow marking assets using a model-based valuation “anchor”, and offer applications in position keeping and investment selection.

• A range of private market indices and benchmarks that aggregate the monthly valuations of thousands of private firms in 100 countries to create genuine measure of market dynamic that can be used in portfolio or fund benchmarking, manager selection, or making strategic investment and allocation decisions.

Presented by:
– Abhishek Gupta, Associate Director and Head of Product Development, Scientific Infra and Private Assets
– Srinivasan Selvam, Senior Product Development Specialist, EDHEC Infrastructure and Private Assets Research Institute

Moderated by Brendan Maton

Private asset investors are often starved of data. Not anymore!

*For professional investors only*

Join us for an insightful discussion where our portfolio managers will share their perspectives on optimising Buy and Maintain strategies for future scenarios.

Far from being 'set-and-forget' vehicles, Buy and Maintain strategies boast many of the same benefits as full active strategies for institutional investors. Buy and Maintain stands out due to its emphasis on long-term fundamentals, provision of stable income, hedging against liabilities and strong focus on risk mitigation.
 
Topics to be discussed include:
• Real-life case studies of Buy and Maintain in action
• The opportunities and challenges in the current market environment
• The role of shorter versus longer dated bonds in Buy and Maintain portfolios
• How sustainability can support a Buy and Maintain approach

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Presented by:
– Benoît Guerineau, Senior Portfolio manager, AXA Investment Managers
– Rob Price, Senior Portfolio manager, AXA Investment Managers

Moderated by:
– Martin Sanders, Head of Pension Investments, AXA Investment Managers

Unlocking Buy and Maintain strategies’ full potential

India has become the darling of EM investors after China continued to disappoint. India is emerging as a dominant player with its vibrant investment environment, strong demographics, accelerating urbanisation and rising affluence. 

Already today, this dynamic shift is calling for portfolio adjustments. Over the past 10 years, Indian equity markets have outperformed the MSCI EM index by around 7% per year. As India approaches a benchmark weight of 20% in MSCI EM index, this strong performance is having widespread effects on allocation realities. 

In 2024, India's growing influence will extend beyond equities. The country is poised to join JPMorgan's GBI-EM Global Diversified Index, one of the most widely followed EM local benchmarks, and Bloomberg's EM Local Index in June 2024 and January 2025, respectively. This cements India's position as an important component of any diversified portfolio.

Passive implementation can address under-representation. With a local EM index weighting of 10%, any underweight allocation to Indian assets could be a significant risk from a diversification and carry perspective, as 10Y yields remain above 7%. ETFs and other passively managed solutions offer investors the building blocks to fill this gap in their allocation before it even arises. These vehicles offer an efficient route to gain exposure to the Indian market, regardless of the current allocation structure.

Presented by:
– Fabian Becher – Head of Chief Investment Office, DWS
– Lukas Ahnert, Senior Product Specialist - Xtrackers Index Strategy & Analytics, DWS
– Sebastian Schiele / Head of Passive Mandates Sales EMEA & APAC, DWS

Moderated by Brendan Maton

India: Bridging the allocation gap with passive market access

After a decade of low growth, low rates and low bond yields, fixed income is interesting again. As the world moves past Covid-19, the subsequent disruptive global reopening and the invasion of Ukraine, subsiding inflation suggests a turning point in the rate cycle.

This is a chance to secure exceptional income from bond investments in Global Rates, Investment Grade, High Yield and Emerging Markets.

However, the geopolitical order remains in flux and there is debate over how to price inflation and growth prospects. With risk premia driven to tight levels, credit spreads over risk-free government bond yields are well below historical averages.

The rotation should be broadly positive for fixed income. But the opportunity demands careful navigation and a dynamic approach to ensure consistent, risk-adjusted returns both within and across asset classes.
Active management helps investors focus on the best valuation opportunities, exploiting inefficient markets and research insights to generate alpha through allocation and security selection.

Presented by:
– Adrian Hilton, Head of Emerging Market Debt, Columbia Threadneedle Investments
– Roman Gaiser, Head of Fixed Income and High Yield, EMEA, Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Moderated by: Brendan Maton

Fixed income: why now, what areas, and how to get involved

• Innovative Technologie-Unternehmen erleben enormes Wachstumspotential 
• KI treibt den Innovationszyklus von Digitalisierung und Automatisierung
• Finanzierung mit Eigenkapital ist essenziell im neuen Zinsumfeld 
• Die Rolle von Private Equity in Europa im Vergleich zu den USA 

Referent des IPE D.A.CH Webinars am Mittwoch den 20. März um 14 Uhr ist Fidel Manolopoulos, Partner, Co-Head of EMEA Investment, Federated Hermes.

Manolopoulos ist seit 2017 bei Federated Hermes tätig und leitet die Primär- und Co-Investment-Aktivitäten des Unternehmens im mittleren Marktsegment in der EMEA-Region, mit einem Schwerpunkt auf Wachstumsinvestitionen. Er verfügt über 17 Jahre Erfahrung mit Private Equity-Investitionen und ist Mitglied des Federated Hermes Private Equity Investment-Komitees in Bezug auf die Investitionen des Federated Hermes GPE Innovation Fund. Herr Manolopoulos ist derzeit Vorstandsmitglied mehrerer Technologieunternehmen und sitzt im Beirat einer Reihe von Fonds. Darüber hinaus verfügt er über umfangreiche Erfahrungen im Bereich technologiegestützter Wachstumsinvestitionen, die er über mehrere Jahre bei Kennet Partners und ViewPoint Capital gesammelt hat. Zuletzt war er bei Mojo Capital tätig, wo er Direktinvestitionen leitete. Herr Manolopoulos hat einen MA in Informatik und Betriebswirtschaft von der Technischen Universität Darmstadt. Er ist deutsch-griechischer Staatsbürger und spricht fließend Englisch, Deutsch und Griechisch.

Tech-Innovationen in Europa – Chancen für Private Equity

Pension funds are increasingly reallocating their assets toward passive investments, with the goals of enhancing portfolio management efficiency, reducing risk and bolstering diversification. Systematic strategies provide a liquid, transparent and low-cost option that helps guard portfolios against market fluctuations and volatility while focusing on pension funds' long-term goals.
 
Nearly 60% of global institutional investors claim that higher inflation and higher interest rates make systematic investment more attractive, and that it has helped them manage market volatility in the past.*
 
Join a compelling discussion with prominent industry experts as they delve into the topic of pension funds' allocation to systematic investments, explore the key drivers, and provide insights into future trends. The key questions will include:

• Asset allocation trends in 2024.
• Drivers for Pension Funds’ allocation to quant investments.
• The evolution of technology in systematic investing and its impact on performance.
• Challenges and solutions for data access and integration into workflows.
• What are the key challenges that arise in the context of risk management?
 
Register now to join the live discussion, or access the recording after the broadcast.
 
*Global Systematic Investing Study 2023 (Invesco)

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Presented by:
– John Hydeskov, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Velliv
– Boris Molls – Head of Markets, Brightwell
– Pierre Trecourt, Co-Founder & COO, Premialab

How quant investments enhance pension funds' allocations

Join Brookfield’s Sophie Fallman, Head of Real Estate in Australia, and Leonie Wilkinson, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management, as they explore the investment opportunities in Australian real estate.

In this conversation with IPE’s Brendan Maton, Sophie and Leonie will be sharing their views on the Australian market, backed by Brookfield’s global insights. Brookfield believes this could be one of the most interesting investment environments we’ve seen in over a decade, with Australia offering attractive opportunities for well capitalized, operationally adept investors.

Themes to be explored include:

- Population growth: Australia’s population, fueled by policy settings to attract advanced skills migration, is forecast to grow by 15% over the next decade, underpinning long-term demand for commercial real estate.

- Links to robust Asia markets: As an open, adaptable economy with worldwide connections, global ties make Australia prosperous.  Asia-Pacific trade is supported by multiple regional trade agreements, with Australia’s top 12 trading partners in the region attracting 80% of Australia’s total exports

- Sound real estate fundamentals: Zoning laws and difficult-to-unlock supply have led to the lowest logistics vacancy rates globally. Fundamentals for premium office in Australia remain strong as occupiers demand the very best, while favorable demographic shifts support the living sector.

- Low new supply: Higher costs of materials and labor have held down new starts, with a sharp reduction of projected new supply from 2026.

- Attractive entry point for investors: The Bloomberg consensus economist curve is projecting Australian interest rates to drop in the second half of 2024, which we believe will provide an attractive entry point for real estate investors and lead to an increase in transaction activity.

Australia in 2024: Shaping an early mover advantage?

Join members of the Aviva Investors Real Assets Team for a real assets market update and to discover the findings of the sixth-edition of our Real Assets Study.

David Hedalen, Head of Real Assets Research, will explore the key themes and trends for real assets investors in 2024. 

Mark Meiklejon, Head of Real Assets Investment Specialists, will present the key findings of the 2024 Aviva Investors Real Assets Study:

• How the principal drivers behind real assets allocations are beginning to shift
• What are institutions’ return expectations across strategies?
• How do views on sustainability differ between regions?

A panel discussion will follow with Ben Sanderson, Daryl Murphy, Munawer Shafi and Greta Talbot Jones, who will be discussing where they are seeing opportunities in the market.

Real assets in a shifting landscape

Cryptocurrencies are garnering more interest from institutional investors, driven by enhanced regulation and increased transparency. Join us for a webinar where experts from Bitcoin Suisse, Valour and STOXX will discuss how the digital-assets markets has evolved, and how investors can participate through an innovative “blue-chip” index approach that targets quality and well-established holdings. Among topics to be explored:

Evolution of the digital assets market landscape

• What is the appeal of digital assets for investors? 
• Benefits of investing in digital assets via an index: the role of systematic methodologies and a comprehensive taxonomy 
• What does a blue-chip focus mean in cryptocurrencies? 
• How can investors secure reliable pricing in this segment?
• Outlook for the crypto market – is EMEA different? 
 
Speakers:
– Ladi Williams, Stoxx
– Johanna Belitz, Valour
– Loris Voneschen, Bitcoin Suisse

IPE Webinar: Digital Assets – Exploring a new paradigm in investing

Continuation vehicles (CVs) have migrated from the margin to the mainstream. In fact, CVs have become firmly entrenched in the private equity eco-system and appear now to be the clear choice for GP-led secondary transactions. Please join Jeff Hammer and Paul Sanabria, Global Co-Heads of Secondaries at Manulife Investment Management, as they discuss:

• How CVs are a becoming a permanent feature of the private equity landscape 
• How the creation of and investment in CVs has spawned a new industry
• Why ignorance about the development of CVs isn’t an option

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Presented by:
– Paul Sanabria - Senior Managing Director, Global Co-Head of Secondaries, Manulife Investment Management
– Jeff Hammer - Senior Managing Director, Global Co-Head of Secondaries, Manulife Investment Management

Moderated by:
– Mohamed Elkordy Ph.D. - Senior Investment Officer, New York State Retirement Fund

Continuation vehicles - meteoric rise, present-day dynamics and future potential

Join us for a webinar exploring the significance of biodiversity in corporate and investment strategies. Discover why focusing on our ecosystems is crucial from both economic and financial perspectives. Learn about the importance of a comprehensive biodiversity framework to address impact, the challenges of reporting and objective setting. Gain insights into the supply-chain aspect of biodiversity data and the importance of standardization. Explore the integration of biodiversity into investment practices, and its link to climate index solutions. 

Presented by:
– Antonio Celeste, Director, Sustainable Product Management, STOXX
– Frederike Bauer, Product Specialist Xtrackers, DWS
– Hernando Cortina, CFA, Managing Director, Head of Index Strategy at ISS ESG

Moderated by: Brendan Maton

Unveiling the Biodiversity Paradigm: from Reporting to Investment Integration

Sustainable investments

Biodiversity

Investment Strategy

Asset Management

Corporate reporting

Climate indices

Welcome to the UK wealth managers community on BrightTALK! Join thousands of UK wealth managers on BrightTALK to share and learn about wealth planning, the best investment funds and more. Browse hundreds of on-demand webinars and videos presented by recognized wealth management professionals and increase your engagement by participating in live interactive webinars.

UK Wealth Managers

This community is for institutional investors responsible for managing large-scale funds. Join to learn how top institutional investors are managing their organization’s shares, influencing the market, and what tips they have for successful investment strategies.

Institutional Investors

The accounting and finance community on BrightTALK features presentations from leading accountants and finance professionals. The accounting community includes tax planning strategies, QuickBooks webinars and other accounting webinars, while the finance community features presentations on financial capital regulations and forensic data analytics. Join the conversation by attending live financial and accounting presentations and connecting with industry thought leaders.

Unveiling the Biodiversity Paradigm: from Reporting to Investment Integration

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