Politicians, bankers, economists, executives and even film stars begin converging on the Swiss resort of Davos today in an effort to solve some of the global economy's most pressing conundrums.
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, billionaire investor George Soros and Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz are among the big names that have flown in for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting this week.
Their goal will be to hammer out suggested answers to big questions; ranging from how to fix the global financial system to how to create jobs.
Other important topics such as US and China relations, global trade and the future of energy will also be covered.
But the event is not just about economics. Leading lights from the world of entertainment like actor Robert De Niro and U2 frontman Bono are there too to talk about weighty cultural and humanitarian issues.
The agenda kicks-off today with discussions about the emergence of a "new economic reality", in which China and other emerging markets will play a bigger role.
A different backdrop to last year will frame the event. Less of the doom and gloom is expected as some economies move out of recovery mode. It may also offer insight into China's attempts to boost its influence on the global stage as the country has its largest delegation at the forum.
From the Gulf, UAE Minister of Economy Sultan al Mansouri is attending, along with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, and Khalid al Falih, president and chief executive of Saudi Aramco.
tarnold@thenational.ae
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”