16 Nov 2019
Investcorp, a leading global provider and manager of alternative investment products, concluded its two-day Investors Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain on Thursday, 14th November.
The participants discussed a variety of global investment topics including the important and increasing role private capital plays across different asset classes, such as real estate, mega projects and infrastructure, that shape modern urban societies. In addition, the panelists outlined, the crucial role private funds play in scaling technology companies which in turn improve the living standards of populations across the world, especially in developing countries. There was also a strong emphasis on the need to harness the right talent and mold future leaders to be able to traverse changing market dynamics and headwinds and deliver value to their respective stakeholders. Finally, and not least important, there were deliberations around where the future growth opportunities lie for investors in light of current market conditions both in terms of geography and asset class. US, China, India and Saudi Arabia were some of the key countries that were identified as offering key growth opportunities while technology and infrastructure were some of the asset classes that are expected to offer attractive returns and portfolio diversification benefits over the long term.
Mohammed Alardhi, Executive Chairman of Investcorp, said: “As Investcorp accelerates its growth into Asia and expands investment offerings to clients, we have an increasingly important role to play to understand global investors’ demand and risk appetite and scope attractive opportunities accordingly. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the discussions and keynote speeches and would like to thank all participants and attendees for their contributions and time. We are very proud to have such an extensive network and look forward to hosting everyone again next year.”
The outcome of Investcorp’s latest annual survey, titled “What’s Next? Investment Trends for the Future” was discussed during the conference. The poll, which was done in partnership with Mercury Capital, IMD Business School and ICR, explores institutional investors’ sentiment and allocations and the most pressing economic trends that are expected to shape the global economy over the next three decades.
Of the 185 survey respondents representing more than US $10 trillion in AUM across a range of institution types, 8 out of 10 (78%) said that an aging population is the most significant trend that is driving global economies and the investment landscape over the next 30 years. Artificial intelligence and machine learning ranked second (69%) followed closely by the impact of climate change (66%). Other popular trends were urbanization and smart cities (42%) and redefining global trade (40%).