Asian Investment Conference 2021

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Plenary session

Fireside chat | Are private markets the new frontier for thematic investing?

10:00 HKT | 02:00 GMT | 22:00-1 Day EDT

Today, more than ever, the future belongs to those who are able to focus on the big themes. Together with BlackRock, Credit Suisse is taking its Supertrends thematic framework to the next level to capture new opportunities in the private and alternatives markets. By aligning investments to both financial and purpose-driven outcomes, it is possible to enhance risk-adjusted returns and build portfolio value in the long term. Hear more about Credit Suisse and Blackrock’s sustainability approach and how it will become central to investing as the global economy transitions to a net-zero future. 

CEO, BlackRock Switzerland

Stream 1

Conversation | How can we achieve diversity for the future?  

11:00 HKT | 03:00 GMT | 23:00-1 Day EDT

Gender equality is a moral and business imperative. But unconscious bias holds us back, and de-biasing people’s minds has proven to be difficult and expensive. With diversity training programs often having limited success, behavioral design offers a new solution. By de-biasing organizations instead of individuals, companies can make smart changes that have a big impact. Presenting research-based solutions, a leading Harvard academic discusses the tools we need to make a difference in classrooms and boardrooms, in hiring and promotion, and shares how this will benefit businesses, governments and the lives of millions.

CEO Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse

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Credit Suisse Insight | Is Asia’s rally sustainable?

11:00 HKT | 03:00 GMT | 23:00-1 Day EDT

Join our Co-Head of Equity Strategy for APAC as he looks at the structural and cyclical factors driving the recent rally to determine how much further it can go. At present, cyclical factors are predominant, but is the market overlooking important structural tailwinds?

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Keynote Conversation | The road to net zero and the case for optimism – what will it take to achieve the great energy transition?

14:00 HKT | 06:00 GMT | 02:00 EDT

Decarbonizing the global economy is an urgent necessity if climate change targets are to be met. According to estimates, to meet the Paris Agreement’s warming target, global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector will need to fall by more than 70% by 2040, even as electricity generation grows by 46%. Despite the challenges this bold ambition presents, the case for optimism is tangible. Join us for a Keynote Conversation with the Chair of the highly respected think tank, the Energy Transitions Commission.

Stream 3

Credit Suisse Insight | What drives the A/H premium? Allocating between on- and offshore China

14:00 HKT | 06:00 GMT | 02:00 EDT

The opening of China’s capital markets has accelerated despite headwinds from the pandemic and the evolving US/-China relationship. As the A-share market’s importance grows, correctly balancing a portfolio by allocating between onshore and offshore China equities is an increasingly critical decision for fund managers. The on- and off-shore markets have different underlying dynamics, sentiment and correlation profiles. This is most evident in the premium of A-shares over H-shares for dual-listed companies, or the A/H premium anomaly, which represents an opportunity to enhance China exposure. In this session, a panel of Credit Suisse experts led by Will Stephens, the head of our Quantitative and Systematic Strategy team, will outline how investors can harness this opportunity in their portfolios.

Video message | Do investors hold the key to a clean and climate-friendly future? 

14:50 HKT | 06:50 GMT | 02:50 EDT

What role does the financial services industry play in tackling climate change and helping the world move towards a zero-carbon economy? A senior leader at the United Nations calls for investors to step up as leaders – including by engaging with finance ministries to ensure fulfilment of the commitments under the Paris Agreement, and integrating climate considerations into financial decision-making at all levels. As he explains, multilateralism and policy-maker leadership needs to be ambitious and set the tone for society as it recovers from Covid-19 and looks to achieve sustainable development. 

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Panel | How can China achieve its pledge to lead the world into the clean energy era? 

15:00 HKT | 07:00 GMT | 03:00 EDT

China’s intention to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 marks one of the most important policy initiatives of the last 40 years. But how credible is the country’s ambition to make the transition and how will it get there? China’s top climate research institute estimates it will require the nation’s carbon emissions to peak between 2025 and 2030, and a transformative US$15 trillion investment in the next 30 years in renewables, nuclear, storage, smart grids and other forms of energy infrastructure. Hear the perspectives on this important topic from an economist and former regulator who is devising ways and means to move towards a zero-carbon economy and a leading expert on climate change policy in China. 

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Conversation | How can the Chinese economy achieve sustainable growth through its “dual circulation” strategy and five-year plan?

15:00 HKT | 07:00 GMT | 03:00 EDT

The Chinese government last year launched its “dual circulation” economic strategy and advanced a series of long-term reforms against the backdrop of unprecedented global transformation and a series of domestic challenges. How will these strategies help China achieve sustainable growth? One of China’s foremost economists joins us to explore this question and China’s prospects for economic development under its 2021-2025 Five-Year Plan. 

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Credit Suisse Insight | 100 unicorns – what does India’s start-up boom mean for the economy and the corporate landscape?

15:00 HKT | 07:00 GMT | 03:00 EDT

India’s corporate landscape is undergoing a radical change due to a remarkable confluence of changes in the funding, regulatory and business environment over the past two decades. An unprecedented pace of new-company formation and innovation in various sectors has meant a surge in the number of highly-valued, as-yet unlisted companies. India’s FinTech ecosystem is charting a unique growth path as it benefits from government spending on digital infrastructure and partnerships with the incumbent bank and non-bank financial companies. Join Credit Suisse’s Head of India Securities Research and Co-Head of Asia Pacific Strategy and India Equity as they delve into India’s 100-strong unicorn market and the FinTech ecosystem. 

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Keynote Panel |  How has the pandemic changed central banking in Emerging Asia?

16:00 HKT | 08:00 GMT | 04:00 EDT

Covid-19 has had considerable impact on the health systems and economies of Asian Emerging Markets, but banking systems, financial markets and currencies have remained remarkably stable. How did central banks contribute to the stability? What lessons have been learned? How will central banking in Emerging Asia change going forward? Hear the perspectives of the central bank governors of Indonesia and the Philippines on how they navigated their economies through a global pandemic and how they plan to promote strong recoveries.

Stream 3 

Credit Suisse Insight | What is China Pride?

16:00 HKT | 08:00 GMT | 04:00 EDT

A seismic change is taking place in China’s retail sector where consumers are forsaking their preference for foreign brands and beginning to embrace homegrown ones. This shift is especially pronounced among younger consumers and is explained by a number of factors, including the availability of higher-quality domestic products, accompanied by better branding, marketing, delivery and service. This trend presents a challenge to a wide range of foreign brands and their traditionally strong positions not only in China but also globally. Our Head of China Quantitative insight (CQi) will shine a spotlight on what lies behind China Pride, and explore how it may evolve from here.

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Panel | The future of food — what technologies will help society feed 10 billion people by 2050?

17:00 HKT | 09:00 GMT | 05:00 EDT

With the global population forecast to top 9.6 billion by the middle of the century, the biggest long-​term challenge facing the world today is how to sustainably feed the planet’s dramatically increasing population. The combination of rising incomes and changing diets means that by 2050, the world needs to produce 70% more food at a time when water scarcity, droughts and extreme weather events will challenge established agricultural methods. Our panel of experts discuss the new farming, fishing and livestock business models and sustainable technologies we will need in an environmentally and climatically stressed world to meet the challenge head on.

Stream 2

Global equity strategy — where are the opportunities?

17:00 HKT | 09:00 GMT | 05:00 EDT

In 2020, most stock markets around the world did well as friendly fiscal and monetary policies buoyed sentiment and kept the markets flush with liquidity. But what will 2021 look like? Will global equities continue to do well? Should markets start worrying about inflation and how will that impact the bond markets? What geographies and industries offer the most potential for Alpha? And what of ESG - which particular aspect should investors focus on? Providing answers to these questions and more in this session will be our Head of Global Equity Strategy.

Plenary session

Prime Services Panel | Where are the alpha opportunities in an evolving Japan?

21:00 HKT | 13:00 GMT | 09:00 EDT

Japanese corporations have evolved considerably over the past decade as a growing focus on corporate governance from both regulators and investors have led to the unwinding of cross-shareholdings, record buybacks, and M&A. Looking ahead, these changes are expected to pick up pace, fuelled by further revisions to the Corporate Governance Code, Tokyo Stock Exchange reforms as well as the digital transformation that Covid-19 has kicked into a higher gear. How are hedge fund managers dealing with these changes? What attracts them to continue to invest in Japan? Japan market experts will address these questions by sharing their experiences and insights on the investment opportunities they see in the country.

Plenary session

Conversation | How is technology revolutionizing disease prevention?

22:00 HKT | 14:00 GMT | 10:00 EDT

What is it like to be on the front lines of coronavirus vaccine discovery, transforming the way we think about diseases and their cures? The CEO of Moderna, a leader in the healthcare space and creator of one of the first Covid-19 vaccines, joins us to explain why this is just the beginning for companies that are using technology to disrupt and revolutionize traditional healthcare.