Valletta Fund Services

Valletta Fund Services has once again participated in the annual HedgeFund Intelligence European Summit 2015 conference in Paris.

The Paris event has established itself in the investment funds’ sector as a focal meeting point for operators from across the globe to network, exchange views about market developments, meet clients and new contacts, as well as service providers, whilst having the opportunity to participate in a series of presentations by world-class high profile speakers, specialists in their respective fields in the fund management and funds’ sector itself.

This year’s event was again another opportunity for VFS’s Business Development Division to enhance its ongoing networking drive, an integral part of the division’s marketing tools in promoting both Malta as a fund domicile, as well as VFS itself as the ideal local partner on the fund structuring and in the fund administration space.

Over 600 delegates, representatives of fund managers, service providers, law firms, auditors, IT system providers, prime brokers and investors, participated in this year’s event.

Keynote speakers included Chief Executive Officers and Chairmen of world renowned asset managers and hedge funds, who dealt with a myriad of topics very relevant to the fund industry’s current scenario of extensive regulatory changes. Likewise, a series of panel discussions and stream sessions dealing with different yet related subjects, ensured that the delegates received the very latest about developments in this sector.

Amongst the topics that featured high in the presentations and ensuing discussions, were the ECB’s quantitative easing program and its impact on the economic scenario within the EU, the Grexit, the rise of populism in many EU member states, the upcoming elections in the UK and the likely resulting scenarios in terms of the UK’s relationship with the rest of the EU, trends in debt-to-GDP and inflation over the past decade, the political and economic positioning of China on the world stage, the emerging markets and prospects and risks thereto, and finally the US picture.

“Sophisticated” UCITS and how this could have a fit within the alternative investment funds’ space, “life” after the advent of the AIFMD, the challenges of Prime Brokers and depositaries, commodity trading and private equity were hotly debated topics by the panel speakers and delegates alike from the floor.

Perhaps the highlight keynote address of the event was the one delivered by Sir John Sawers, former chief of the British Intelligence Service MI6, (the role of “Q” largely associated with Judie Dench in many James Bond movies). The geo-political and social developments currently occurring in Russia and China, and the impact of these on the respective economies as well as their effect on the bigger global picture, and risks thereof, were dealt with…..in spy story telling fashion.

In conclusion, this was yet another opportunity for VFS to keep abreast with developments occurring on a global scale that are directly linked to the funds’ sector, thus impacting too Malta; the event also enabled VFS to ensure that visibility for Malta and the company itself are sustained on an on-going basis. Follow ups with old and new contacts made during the event will feature highly in the coming days, thereby contributing further in VFS’s drive in its market leadership in Malta.