Credit Suisse today announced a strong line-up of speakers for its 17th Asian Investment Conference (AIC), including two prime ministers, two former prime ministers, nine current and former central bankers, CEOs and thought-leaders from around the world. The AIC will host an audience of more than 2,300 institutional, hedge fund and high net worth investors representing around USD18 trillion of assets under management, as well as senior executives from over 300 companies.

The 17th Credit Suisse AIC will run from March 24-28 in Hong Kong and comes at a time when world markets are grappling with the impact of US tapering, uncertainty around Europe’s economic recovery, China's continued slow-down and critical elections in India and Indonesia. In addition, investors are considering how issues such as geopolitical tensions, clean technology and 'big data' impact their investment decisions. More than 6,500 private meetings are expected to take place during the five-day program, offering unrivalled corporate access to complement the AIC’s thematic keynote addresses and panels, as well as Credit Suisse’s highly-ranked economic, sector and market strategy research.

This year could be pivotal to putting the global economy back on a sustainable growth track, as markets become accustomed to the diminishing fiscal and monetary stimulus that has been a feature of global markets over the last few years. Credit Suisse forecasts 6.3% GDP growth in Asia Pacific in 2014, with growth predicted at 7.3% in China, 6.6% in India and 1.6% in Japan. The US economy is forecast to grow 3%, while European growth is seen at 1.3%. In the markets, Credit Suisse analysts forecast a 2014 year-end MSCI Asia Ex-Japan Index (MXASJ) target of 625 —offering 17% potential upside from the current MXASJ level of 534.

Credit Suisse Asia Pacific CEO Eric Varvel said: "Since the last Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference, a lot has changed: the US is firmly set on a tapering path, Abenomics continues to have a tremendous impact on Japan, Europe seems to be on the road to recovery but China is beginning to slow as it undergoes reform."

"These developments raise a number of questions for investors in Asia Pacific, which we hope to answer at this year’s conference. Clients want to know how the region will perform in this new environment; can markets in Asia differentiate themselves from some of the macro factors affecting Emerging Markets, where there has been a rise in volatility; and what will become the driving forces for growth?"

"In the sphere of politics, China’s new leadership is implementing an ambitious structural reform agenda, while India and Indonesia – two of the other most populous markets in the region – will both see elections that could have a dramatic effect on the economic landscape of those countries."

"The AIC offers an opportunity to hear from some of the world's most important decision makers, and delivers unprecedented insight into the forces that shape economic policy and industrial strategies. This year we will hear from two current prime ministers, two forrmer prime ministers, two members of the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), an International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive and the heads of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)," added Mr. Varvel.

The 17th Credit Suisse AIC is pleased to welcome The Honourable Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak , Prime Minister of Malaysia, who will discuss the next phase of Malaysia's reform plans, and Shinzō Abe , Prime Minister of Japan, who – via video – will update delegates on his country’s economic progress. At a time when US monetary policy is playing such an influential role in the fortunes of Asian markets, two FOMC members will also join; Charles L. Evans , President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and Dr. James Bullard , President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Credit Suisse also presents former Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda , who led recovery efforts to rebuild the economy after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, and also started the debate – still taking place now – about what is a sustainable and politically acceptable energy policy for Japan.

This year, the AIC also plays host to His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani , who until last year was the Prime Minister of Qatar. He led one of the most ambitious foreign policy initiatives of any Middle Eastern country, leaving him extremely well-positioned to discuss the shifting alliances in this strategically important region, and the implications that this could have

At a time when the US continues to play an influential role in both politics and economics of the region, Timothy D. Adams , former Under Secretary of State for International Affairs at the US Department of the Treasury, will discuss some of the domestic challenges in the US, and the impact these could have on Asia, including the prospects for managing the debt ceiling and overcoming the challenges of the current health care reforms. While Professor R. Nicholas Burns , also a former US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and former Ambassador to NATO and Greece, will consider geopolitical issues in the region, as China, Japan and other countries continue to assert demands for control over strategic aspects of the South China Sea.

Global macro-economic policies will also be a key theme of this year’s AIC, with a panel of seasoned economic policy-makers tackling the question of how the decisions of some of the key global economic blocs – China, the US, Europe and India – will impact Asia. They include: Dr. Rakesh Mohan , Executive Director at the IMF and former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India; Dr. Jürgen Stark , former Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank; Robert D. Hormats , former Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Environmental Affairs, and Professor David Daokui Li , former member of the Monetary Policy Committee at the People's Bank of China.

Other current and former central bankers to address the AIC include Masaaki Shirakawa , former Governor of the Bank of Japan; Glenn Stevens , Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia; Mirza Adityaswara , Senior Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia and Grant Spencer , Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Dr. Margaret Chan , Director-General of the WHO, will consider the success and the ongoing challenges that still exist in the global fight against infectious diseases, and H.E. Le Luong Minh , Secretary General of ASEAN, will address the prospects for this region, which is still among the fastest growing in the world.

For a change of pace, Britain's "Undercover Economist", author, journalist and broadcaster Tim Harford will take delegates through the psychology and importance of error correction, while Lord Sebastian Coe, KBE , Chairman of the British Olympic Association and an Olympic gold medallist, will discuss the impact of a successful Olympics.

Turning to Australasia, the head of a much-anticipated inquiry into Australia’s financial system, David Murray AO , will offer an update on the likely implications and Australia’s Minister for Trade and Investment, The Hon Andrew Robb AO , will discuss what’s ahead for this important economy. New Zealand’s Finance Minister, The Hon Bill English , will also join to consider the success of his country’s economic and fiscal programs at a time of uncertainty elsewhere. From the corporate world, Dr. Alex Karp , co-founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies, will look at trends in big data analysis and how they can shape investment decisions.

Panels to be held during the conference will consider China's structural reform, the resurgence of clean technology, Japan's future energy policies, the impact of the rising financial independence of women and upcoming elections in India and Indonesia. Credit Suisse's leading economists and strategists will also provide their insight into global, regional and sectoral investment themes and trends during the conference.

For more information, including the agenda, coverage of the conference on the AIC Blog, interviews and video replays of some conference sessions, please visit credit-suisse.com/aic . We also invite you to follow the AIC’s dedicated Twitter feed: @csapac .

Kindly note that selected keynote speeches and panels will be open to the media, who are requested to reference the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference when quoting any speaker at the conference. However, company presentations and panels (unless otherwise specified) are not open to the press. Please refer to the media program and registration form, which will be distributed separately, for details.