Agenda

A plethora of laws and regulations to reform the financial sector is being proposed in the main financial centers. The panel will delve deeply into the key features and scope of this emerging regulatory landscape. How is the Dodd-Frank Act likely to reshape the financial industry? What will be the true scope of the act considering that numerous complex issues and major decisions of the rule making process are being left to regulators and agencies? After undergoing months of discussion, what will be the outcome and timeline for implementation of the Basel III capital adequacy framework? Are the proposals in America and the rest of the world effectively targeting the root problems that led to the turmoil in the financial sector? How should decision makers prepare to navigate this new post-crisis regulatory environment? 

As the financial services industry recovers from the crisis and looks into the future, it faces a new set of challenges and opportunities.  In this session, expert speakers will share their insights on the critical issues impacting financial institutions as we approach 2011. What can the macroeconomic picture tell us about the future of the financial services sector? How is it evolving after the events of the past two years? What lessons have been learned from one of the most serious crisis ever to affect this industry? How are banks, hedge funds and private equity houses rethinking their structures and business models in the post-crisis environment? How will return and risk profiles be impacted? In this new environment, where are the key opportunities to be found?

It is clear that the hedge funds' regulatory environment is undergoing a profound transformation. Both the Dodd-Frank Act in America and the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFM) in Europe will significantly modify the framework in which hedge funds and other alternative investments operate. What are the preeminent views in the U.S., Europe and the main international financial centers on how hedge funds should be subject to regulation? What impact will the "Volcker Rule" have on the bank/hedge fund competitive dynamics and scenarios? What will be the AIFM Directive's impact on operational and compliance costs? How is it likely to affect the marketing of funds and the choice of fund domicile? Will the EU proposal achieve their promoted objectives of leveling the playing field, ensuring better protection for investors and averting systemic risk? Or will they, on the other hand, end up being protectionist of certain jurisdictions and detrimental to the growth of the sector?