Exploring new frontiers in a volatile financial and political world will be the theme for this year’s annual meeting of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF). The IFSWF includes members from 31 countries from across the globe, representing over US$3 trillion.
The event will be hosted by Samruk–Kazyna with the assistance of the National Investment Corporation of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the Republic’s two sovereign wealth funds, both of whom are IFSWF members. It will be held in Astana between 5 and 7 September.
The meeting will feature leading international speakers, including a keynote by Sheila Patel, CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management International. Open panel sessions will feature discussions on the role of development funds, risks and benefits of privatisations, and China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Approximately 250 leaders of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), multilateral development and financial institutions, as well as the international investment community are expected to gather in Astana for the event.
The IFSWF is a global network of sovereign wealth funds established in 2009 to set standards for SWF best practice and governance, to enhance collaboration and dialogue between members, and to promote a deeper understanding of SWF activity. The annual meeting is held to bring together members and financial leaders to discuss the key global issues affecting investors.
Further speakers at the event include Adrian Orr, Chairman of the IFSWF and CEO of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Umirzak Shukeyev, CEO of Samruk–Kazyna, Baljeet Kaur Grewal, Managing Director for Strategy and Portfolio Investment of Samruk–Kazyna and Li Keping, Senior Advisor of China Investment Corporation.
Adrian Orr, Chair of IFSWF and Chief Executive of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, said: “The low return environment has been a constant challenge for global investors since the financial crisis. This, coupled with political volatility in developed markets over the past 18 months, has led to investors looking to new frontiers for investment returns.
“These markets and assets offer great potential returns, but also bring a new level of risk and challenges for investors to overcome. It is therefore important that we work together in facing these challenges to better inform our investment decisions in the future.
“The IFSWF annual meeting is a great platform for our members to discuss these issues, and we welcome the opportunity to share our experiences with the broader sovereign wealth fund community.”
Umirzak Shukeyev, CEO of Samruk–Kazyna, added: “It is a great pleasure to be hosting this high-level meeting in Kazakhstan this year. This international event brings together the biggest names in sovereign investments in the industry and is a great platform for improving collaboration and knowledge sharing, which runs deep in the core of IFSWF. I look forward to tackling some of the critical issues facing the industry when we welcome IFSWF members and the broader sovereign wealth fund community to the event in September.”
Akylzhan Baimagambetov, CEO of NIC, added: “NIC has had the pleasure of collaborating with Samruk-Kazyna and IFSWF in putting together the agenda for this year’s Annual Meeting. The discussions planned for this event will include the insights and expertise of senior executives from a variety of world-renowned organisations and will serve as an incredible opportunity for productive dialogue between IFSWF members and observers. By hosting such an internationally acclaimed event, Samruk-Kazyna is significantly contributing to Kazakhstan’s further development as an active player in the sovereign investments industry.”
The Meeting includes member-only sessions dealing with risk management, asset allocation strategies, ESG and the impact of technology in the investment process, as well as the public conference.
More details on the public sessions can be found here
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Notes to editors:
About the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds
The International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF) is a global network of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) established in 2009 to enhance collaboration and dialogue between members, to promote a deeper understanding of SWF activity and to raise the standard for SWF best practice and governance. The Santiago Principles are central to the IFSWF. They consist of 24 generally accepted principles and practices voluntarily adopted by IFSWF members. The Principles endorse transparency, good governance, accountability and prudent investment practices.
About Samruk-Kazyna JSC
Joint Stock Company Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna is owned by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Fund was established in 2008 in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and represents a commercial structure: an investment holding company whose mission is to increase the national welfare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and to support the modernisation of its economy. Samruk-Kazyna achieves its mission through efficient management of its portfolio companies in order to increase their long-term value and ensure sustainable development, and by making catalytic investments in the priority sectors of the national economy. The value of the Fund’s assets is about US$ 67.4 billion as of 31 December 2016. Samruk-Kazyna group includes companies in the oil and gas, transport and logistics sectors and the chemical and nuclear industries, and the metals and mining, energy, machinery building and real estate sectors.
Contact details:
Victoria Barbary, Director of Strategy and Communications at IFSWF
Phone: +44 (0) 20 3713 51096
Email: vb@ifswf.org