The fourth edition of Madrid Investor Networking Day (MIND) has managed to bring together more than 1,000 professionals, nearly 100 speakers, and more than 450 companies in the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles, in Madrid, to address the trends that will set the direction of asset and wealth management in the coming years.
The event, driven by Epika Comunicación under the slogan "The Investment Gallery," has brought together representatives of national and international asset managers, private banking, fund selectors, financial advisors, insurance companies, and service providers, with the aim of sharing knowledge and fostering new business opportunities.
The event has been structured around three main spaces, the Allfunds Auditorium, the Nexo+ Auditorium, and CFA Spain Stage, along with an exhibition area and meetings in small groups to encourage direct contact among the different profiles in the investment ecosystem.
At the opening, the general director of Economy and Industry of the Community of Madrid, Jaime Martínez Muñoz, and the founder of MIND and CEO of Epika Comunicación, Jaime Botín, spoke. He emphasized the relevance of cooperation among sector players and the need to boost financial education in order to channel savings toward investment.
Diversification and new assets take center stage on the agenda
Among the key topics discussed, the investment outlook for 2027 stood out, shaped by economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the concentration of stock market indexes, and the trajectory of interest rates.
Spokespersons from BNY Investments, Morningstar, Schroders, CaixaBank Asset Management, BBVA Asset Management, and GAM Investments examined the prospects for the next fiscal year, along with the strategies and risks that managers will have to consider when designing their portfolios.
Likewise, opportunities in global equities and fixed income were analyzed in the new rates context, with interventions from Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, Lazard Frères Gestion, State Street Investment Management, Algebris Investments, UBS Asset Management, and Amundi.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and private markets also played a leading role. In this area, Deborah Fuhr, founder and managing partner of ETFGI, reviewed the evolution of ETFs and the progress of active management strategies.
The future of these investment vehicles has also been the subject of a panel with representatives from VanEck, UBS Asset Management, J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Amundi, while other sessions have focused on the taxation of ETFs and on the opportunities opened up by private markets.
On the other hand, experts from Allfunds, StepStone Group, CaixaBank Asset Management, Alantra and J.P. Morgan Asset Management have analyzed the consolidation of private assets as a strategic investment alternative and the transformations in their distribution and access models.
Generational change and digital revolution in private banking
The evolution of the relationship with clients has been another of MIND’s main themes, especially with regard to generational change in private banking and to investors’ new requirements.
Representatives from Bankinter, CaixaBank Wealth Management, BBVA and Unicaja Banca Privada have addressed the challenges facing a sector that is moving toward more specialized advisory schemes adapted to each profile.
Likewise, the role of digital platforms in the distribution of financial products has centered a roundtable with N26, Trade Republic and Revolut, where changes in investment habits and new routes to markets have been analyzed.
Trust and personalization have also been key features in sessions on the future of financial advice, in which Prometeia, EFPA España, Banco Mediolanum and ASEAFI have taken part.
In addition, the program has included debates on the role of insurance companies as an investment channel and on opportunities linked to the economy of longevity, with the presence of Allianz Seguros, Mutualidad, Caser Asesores Financieros, Natixis Investment Managers, BBVA Asset Management and SeniorsLeading.
Albert Rivera examines the economic and political context
The institutional and macroeconomic side has also had room at the event, with a session dedicated to the role of Madrid and Spain in the international investment map.
CFA Society Spain President Luis Buceta and INVERCO General Director David de Miguel Rato have assessed Spain’s potential as a financial hub and the contribution of the investment industry to its growth.
Another of the highlights has been the conversation between the former president of Ciudadanos Albert Rivera and Jaime Botín, focused on the economic keys of the current political context and its effects on Spain’s competitiveness and attractiveness to investors.
During his remarks, Rivera has stated that those who backed Pedro Sánchez from within the economic sphere have been right, judging by the results of the companies in the Ibex 35, although he has called on business elites to take more account of the general interest of the country in their decisions.
Likewise, he has defended political alternation and has proposed opening the debate on a mixed model of pensions that would give contributors greater capacity to decide about their savings. In this regard, he has pointed to the importance of strengthening financial and legal education.
The international dimension of the sector has also been addressed with a session dedicated to Luxembourg as a European platform for the distribution of funds, in which Crédit Agricole CACEIS, Creand Wealth & Securities, Mutuactivos and Bestinver have taken part.