9.30
Scene setting and Housekeeping
Daniel Kiernan, Research Director of Intelligent Partnership and curator of the Alternative Investment Summit speaker programme welcomes delegates
9.35
The Coming of Age for Alternative Investments
Navigating the Alternative Investment Universe: Growing demand for alternative investments is being driven by changes to the pensions regime, the ever-present threat of market volatility, poor value mainstream assets, and increasingly sophisticated and demanding clients. David Stevenson sets the scene with an industry overview for advisers looking for new ways to add value for clients.
09.40
Zen and the Art of Alternative Investment
Overcoming the Practical Barriers to Alternative Investments: To optimise alternative investments, advisers need to understand their due diligence requirements, compliance and suitability, acquire and retain technical knowledge, understand the whole-of-market and how to source the best products, and find the right PI cover. This session will offer guidance on how advisers can cover all of these areas efficiently.
10.00
Growing Pains in Tax Efficient Investments
The Challenge of Growth in the Tax Efficient Investment Market: New market entrants, more investment inflows and increasing innovation are driving market growth but it's also making it more difficult for advisers to compare and select the best products. Our panel of providers debate the risks and challenges associated with increasing competition and what advisers can do to make educated choices.
10.35
Expect the Unexpected – Managing Regulatory Change
Update on State Aid Rules, Thematic Reviews and the Regulatory Horizon: With changes in the budget to comply with state aid rules for tax advantaged schemes, the proposed lifting of the SITR limit to £5m, the thematic review of structured products published, one year into the regulatory regime for alternative finance, and PRIPS and MIFID II coming, our panel of compliance specialists offer practical tips for advisers managing a raft of regulatory challenges.
11.20
A New Dawn for Structured Products?
Why Advisers Need to Reconsider Structured Products: Consistently positive returns from structured products for nearly a decade now highlights that these propositions can potentially meet the contradictory needs of both minimising risks and generating solid returns. The sector has also come a long way in this time, with new research, guides and tools available for advisers. This panel looks at the challenges and opportunities for advisers in structured products.
11.55
Inside the Mind of the Ombudsman
The FOS View of Alternative Investments: What is the FOS looking for when it investigates complaints from consumers who think they have been advised to make innapropriate investments? How does the FOS process work? What elements of the advice process will it look into and what are the key pieces of evidence advisers need to justify the reccomendations they made? This session will answer the key questions.
12.15
Debunking the Myth of Alternatives & Diversification
The Role of Alternatives in an Investment Proposition: Challenging the role of alternatives in genuine portfolio diversification, this presentation will explore the extent to which tax planning should be part of investment planning, when clients need to consider diversification and tax planning, how much advisers should allocate to alternatives, and how they can communicate the benefits to their clients.
12.35
13.30
Investor Demand for Alternative Finance Investment
The Investment Case for Crowdfunding and Peer to Peer (P2P) Lending: Crowdfunding and Peer to Peer Lending have emerged as popular new asset classes for more knowledgeable and pro-active investors keen to share in the success of growing SMEs. Our panel will debate the risks and rewards for investors, and offer insights in to what the future might hold for them.
13.40
Understanding Risks and Rewards in Alternative Finance
Is There an Adviser Case for Crowdfunding and P2P Lending?: Advisers need to understand alternative finance, and the role it can play in a diversified portfolio, but will they recommend it? Do the risks outweigh the rewards for clients, and what challenges do advisers face in recommending this asset classto clients? Will we see advisers refer clients to borrow from platforms? Our platform panel present the case for advisers.
14.15
Innovation in Alternative Investments
The Best and Worst Innovations in Alternative Investments: Innovation isn't always a good thing. While some ideas have the power to transform, improve and grow, others can distract or create blind alleys. This panel will identify the truly game changing innovations in alternative investment, regulatory barriers, issues and trends in innovation and where possible highlight examples from around the industry.
15.15
Where Next For Social Impact Investing?
The Present & Future of Social Impact Investing: After the announcement that SITR reliefs will be brought into line with the EIS regime, and the investment limit will likely be lifted to £5m, this session will provide an update for advisers on who is developing products, where the social impact investment market is right now, and where it will go from here.
15.50
Reality Check on Real Assets
The Investment Case for Real Assets: After some big failures and a regulatory clampdown, advisers have looked more cautiously at UCIS and other NMPIs. This panel session will offer a mix of perspectives on the investment case for real assets, the clients they best apply to, and the sorts of products advisers should be recommending.
16.25
The FCA Stance on Alternative Investments
What is the FCA's Current View on Alternative Investments?: This session will consider the FCA's view on the suitability (or otherwise) of the alternative investments explored throughout the Summit.We’ll find out from a former legal adviser to the Regulatory Decisions Committee how the regulator perceives these investments and the advice process around them, and where they might intervene in the future.
16.45
Closing Remarks
Summing up of the Days findings
