In advance of the event, Delano spoke with Hermann Beythan, a partner at Linklaters law firm in Luxembourg, where he is “regularly involved in the structuring of complex investment fund structures, notably debt and real estate funds.” He speaks during the ESG session, Wednesday 2 December at 9:55am.
AG: What do you want the audience to get most from your session?
HB: Two messages. First, differently from other regulatory changes, ESG will--at the end of the day--have a profound impact on the selection of assets as suitable investments. Hence it is a true game changer. Second, presently we speak much about the “E” of “ESG” but “S”--“social”--and “G”--“governance”--will follow.
From your point of view, what has been the biggest impact of the coronavirus pandemic on debt funds this year?
Debt funds have been astonishingly resilient during the pandemic, which shows how much this is a valuable asset class.
What are the biggest changes in the debt fund sector that you expect to see in 2021?
Standardisation of the product and the product documentation on the one hand and gradual increasing opening of the circle of targeted investors in the direction of sophisticated mass affluent as opposed to the present focus on institutional investors. Further the direction goes from closed-ended funds with a 10 year plus term to open-ended funds of indefinite duration.
Aside from your own talk at the Alfi event, which session are you most looking forward to hearing, and why?
The strength and interest of this conference really is the fantastic mix of speakers and topics. Hence I look forward to all of it! And the remote attendance makes it even more attractive.