Agenda

Agenda

“Towards Organic Growth in International Use”

Strategic Asset Allocation in 2019: Key Dynamics, Evolving Risks and Emerging Opportunities

08:00

Registration and breakfast

09:00

Welcome Remarks

09:10

Chairperson's Opening Remarks

09:20

Reserve Management Challenges in 2019: Macro-economic Imbalances, Geopolitical Challenges, and Technological Disruption

Topics include:

  • Key macro-economic and geopolitical dynamics shaping global financial markets
  • Implications of disruptive technological innovation for reserve management
  • Overview of emerging risks, and main features of frameworks for their successful containment

Issami Younes, Deputy Director, Department of Monetary and Exchange Operations, Central Bank of Morocco

10:00

China’s Economy, Monetary Policy and Currency: Global Implications in Focus

Topics include:

  • Status of China's economic restructuring
  • The RMB's fundamentals 
  • Ramifications of trade tensions

Tristan Zhuo, Senior Economist, Global Financial Market Research Division, Economics & Strategic Planning Department, BOCHK

10:40

Networking Break

11:10

What Is the Outlook for Reserve Currencies and Reserve Assets?

Topics include:

  • How are reserve currencies evolving?
  • What is the relevance of gold as an asset class for central bank portfolios?
  • As interest rates increase, will central banks maintain their diversified portfolios?
  • Where does the renminbi fit into constellation of reserve currencies and the international financial architecture more broadly?

Boniface Mutabazi, Director of Financial Markets, National Bank of Rwanda
Abba Salihi, Head of Reserve Management, Central Bank of Nigeria
Hatem Ibrahim, Sub Governor, Central Bank of Egypt (TBC)

Moderated by: Isabelle Strauss-Kahn, former Lead Financial Officer, World Bank Treasury
11:50

The Renminbi as a Reserve Currency: A Central Bank Perspective

Topics include:

  • Motivations for the inclusion of renminbi in the foreign exchange reserve portfolio 
  • Strategies for investments into renminbi (which markets, how and when?)
  • Implications for the composition of the reserve portfolio
  • Overview of key challenges and lessons learned
  • Outlook and expectations for the future

Pervin Danisik, Portfolio Manager - CNY, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey
12:30

Lunch

The Growing Role of Renminbi in Global Markets
13:30

Making the most of Onshore and Offshore Investments and Markets

Topics include:

  • The structure of China's bond market 
  • The update on the Bond Connect channel and related experience
  • Opportunities in currency clearing channels and challenges to overseas investors

Ivan Lam, Head of Bond Trading, Global Markets, BOCHK 
14:10

Investing into Chinese Markets

Topics include:

  • Investments into the Chinese bond market as part of a reserve management strategy
  • Examples of success stories and steps to be avoided
  • Tips for effective cooperation with designated clearing providers and counterparties

Mohamed Araar, Deputy Director of External Private Financing and Relations, Central Bank of Tunisia
14:50

Networking Break
15:20

The Belt and Road Initiative in Focus: What Are the Opportunities for the Renminbi? And for Africa?

Topics include:

  • What is the state of the art of the Belt and Road initiative in Africa and the Middle East?
  • To what extent do the Belt and Road projects boost the global use of renminbi?
  • What are the key emerging opportunities for sovereign reserve managers?

Solomon Kavuma, Deputy Director, Reserve and Investment Management Operations, Bank of Uganda
16:00

What Is (and Will Be) the Role of the Renminbi as the International Monetary System Evolves?

Topics include:

  • What will be the key trends shaping the international monetary system in the future?
  • What to expect in relation to an expansion of the renminbi’s global footprint?
  • Where will be the new sources of opportunities to invest in renminbi?
  • To what extent does a multi-polar reserve currency financial system represent a realistic and desirable goal? 

Tristan Zhuo, Senior Economist, Global Financial Market Research Division, Economics & Strategic Planning Department, BOCHK  
Solomon Kavuma, Deputy Director, Reserve and Investment Management Operations, Bank of Uganda
Mohamed Araar, Deputy Director of External Private Financing and Relations, Central Bank of Tunisia

Moderated by: Isabelle Strauss-Kahn, former Lead Financial Officer, World Bank Treasury
16:40

Chairperson's Closing Remarks
16:50

Networking reception