Insights from the 2025 Asia Pacific Investors Retreat
5th September 2025
This week’s blog is written by our founder, Peter Wands, following his attendance at the 2025 Asia Pacific Investors Retreat in Bangkok.
Last week I attended the 2025 Asia Pacific Investors Retreat, hosted by Markets Group at the Capella Hotel in Bangkok. This is our second year at the event and it once again proved to be one of the most valuable gatherings in the region for those of us who live and breathe asset allocation.
The retreat brings together an extraordinary range of participants: sovereign wealth funds managing trillions, pension funds overseeing the retirements of millions, family offices looking after generational wealth, and managers of every size in between. To have conversations across such a spectrum of perspectives is invaluable, because each group faces different challenges and approaches portfolio construction in unique ways. Those insights directly inform how we at Brigantia continue to design bespoke portfolios for every client.
The retreat brings together an extraordinary range of participants: sovereign wealth funds managing trillions, pension funds overseeing the retirements of millions, family offices looking after generational wealth, and managers of every size in between. To have conversations across such a spectrum of perspectives is invaluable, because each group faces different challenges and approaches portfolio construction in unique ways. Those insights directly inform how we at Brigantia continue to design bespoke portfolios for every client.
The agenda was packed with panels, workshops, and fireside chats covering the big questions in global investing: where sovereign wealth funds see long-term opportunities, how to balance diversification and return through alternatives, the future of wealth management in a rapidly shifting world, and how institutions are adapting their equity, credit, and fixed income strategies. Hearing from CIOs and senior allocators across Asia Pacific reinforced just how global and interconnected our challenges, and opportunities, really are.
In addition to the formal sessions, I took part in two particularly insightful roundtables. The first, hosted by P/E Investments, focused on the importance of uncorrelated liquid alternatives. The discussion highlighted how these strategies can provide resilience in portfolios that might otherwise be too reliant on traditional asset classes. The second, hosted by the World Gold Council, explored gold’s role as a strategic allocation. Gold is often seen purely as a hedge, but the conversation went further into how it can provide long-term portfolio stability in the face of structural risks.
In addition to the formal sessions, I took part in two particularly insightful roundtables. The first, hosted by P/E Investments, focused on the importance of uncorrelated liquid alternatives. The discussion highlighted how these strategies can provide resilience in portfolios that might otherwise be too reliant on traditional asset classes. The second, hosted by the World Gold Council, explored gold’s role as a strategic allocation. Gold is often seen purely as a hedge, but the conversation went further into how it can provide long-term portfolio stability in the face of structural risks.
Of course, much of the real value came outside the scheduled sessions. Networking, or perhaps more accurately, engaging in open and honest conversation (I absolutely hate the term "networking"!), with professionals responsible for managing capital at such scale was fascinating. Everyone brings a different lens, shaped by their own mandates and client base, but the common thread is a shared focus on disciplined, thoughtful allocation.
For us at Brigantia, attending events like this is not just about professional development. It is about making sure we remain at the forefront of asset allocation theory and practice, so that we can continue to add tangible value for our clients. There really is no other wealth manager for expats so committed to these standards and so invested in bringing the best ideas from the institutional world into the service of private clients.
The key takeaway is simple: staying connected to the very top tier of global asset allocators is one of the ways we ensure our clients always benefit from world-class thinking in their own financial plans.
For us at Brigantia, attending events like this is not just about professional development. It is about making sure we remain at the forefront of asset allocation theory and practice, so that we can continue to add tangible value for our clients. There really is no other wealth manager for expats so committed to these standards and so invested in bringing the best ideas from the institutional world into the service of private clients.
The key takeaway is simple: staying connected to the very top tier of global asset allocators is one of the ways we ensure our clients always benefit from world-class thinking in their own financial plans.