#8thIWMC 2023 – How the Indian wealth managers can navigate uncertainty and disruption

CFA Society India’s 8^th edition of the India Wealth Management Conference brought together industry’s renowned thought leaders to deliberate and debate the opportunities, risks, and portfolio solutions for professional wealth managers in India.

India’s wealth market is experiencing rapid growth, with managed investments growing at an impressive annual rate of 8%. But there are lots of complexities and market volatilies that requires wealth managers to have specialized skills and knowledge to provide the right advise. And “navigating uncertainty and disruption” was the theme of the CFA Society India’s 8th Indian Wealth Management Conference held on 4th August.

The conference brought together distinguished visionaries and practitioners from around the world and offered engaging discussions and interactive sessions led by industry experts, offering perspectives on managing wealth amidst the tectonic shifts in the market and the emerging trends.

“India’s wealth management industry is at an inflection point. A rapid rise in the number of wealthy, financialization of savings & penetration of technology is providing opportunities for democratization of regulated products. However, challenges run deep as the Indian savers market is heavily under serviced with just about 30000 active MF distributors & around 1200 licensed advisers.

For us at CFA Society India, we are looking at Wealth Management Industry to become a leading provider of job opportunities, driven by the urgent need for competent & qualified people to serve the investment needs of a rapidly growing affluent class. This year’s wealth management conference, like in earlier years, provided a carefully curated content presented by speakers of global repute. In addition, specialist streams were added as a novel feature to provide the delegates deeper insights into various critical functions of the wealth management value chain.”, said Rajendra Kalur, Chairperson of CFA Society India.

At the conference, the panel of speakers including Akhil Doegar, CEO, Navigator Investment Services Limited (NISL), highlighted the role of technological advancement for optimizing financial strategies and client satisfaction. Sandeep Jethwani, Co-founder, Dezerv, decoded the investor psychology in investment decision-making, Pranay Gupta, CFA, Adjunct Associate Professor, Nanyang Business School, NTU Singapore underscored the need to reconsider portfolio design strategies to capitalize on new investment opportunities when markets undergo paradigm shifts.

Arati Porwal, Country Head of CFA India, said, “As we witness the India wealth story growing bigger and better, CFA’s 8th India Wealth Management Conference couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. With managed investments reaching INR 135 trillion and expanding, the industry faces both exciting opportunities as well as unique challenges. This forum brings together the finest thought leaders from around the world to deliberate on the opportunities, risks, and portfolio solutions for professional wealth managers in the country. It is an excellent platform to reconnect and build relations to pave the way for growth”. 

Speakers including Rohit Karkera, Co-founder and Head, Investments, Cervin Family Office & Rupali Prabhu, CIO & Head, Products and Solutions, Sanctum Wealth, shared their perspectives on pertinent topics such as Managers selection & Wealth management in India over the next decade. Venkatchalam Ramaswamy, Vice Chairman, Edelweiss, introduced private markets investing as part of wealth solutions.  Ben Carlson, CFA, Director of Institutional Asset Management, Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC shared eight myths in wealth building that can keep one from making right investment decisions and securing a stable post-retirement income.

Conference Chairs Kishor Bagri, CFA (MFD, Director, Professional Learning Committee, CFA Society India) & Shamit Chokshi, CFA (Head-Offshore Fund Investments, ICICI Prudential AMC Ltd., Director-Elect, CFA Society India), highlighted the eventual presence of a hybrid wealth management framework that combines technology, research and human connect backed by superior investment advisory skills than what we observe in the industry today. The conference aimed at addressing such skill gaps for professional advisors. 

About CFA Society India 

CFA Society India is registered as Indian Association of Investment Professionals under Section 8 of the 2013 Companies Act. With more than 3,200 members spread all across India, it is one of the premier societies belonging to CFA Institute. the membership base consists of portfolio managers, investment consultants, and other financial experts. As one of the over 158 CFA Institute member societies of the CFA Institute, CFA Society India links its regional members to a globally interconnected network of investment professionals. For more information, visit www.cfasocietyindia.org or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @CFASocietyIndia 

About CFA Institute 

CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion of ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. Our aim is to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economics grow. There are more than 180,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in more than 160 markets. CFA Institute has nine offices worldwide and 160 local societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org or follow us on Linkedin and Twitter at @CFAInstitute.