Informa Connect

Resilience Becomes the Central Strategic Priority The keynote opened with a clear message: resilience has become the defining strategic imperative for telecom operators. As connectivity now underpins transportation, payments, public services and national security, disruptions—whether technical, cyber‑related or geopolitical—carry far‑reaching consequences. In this environment, resilience is no longer a technical attribute but a foundational requirement for economic and societal stability.

In today's complex investment landscape, infrastructure plays a critical role in shaping a robust portfolio strategy. As discussed by Christopher Farrell, Principal at Stonepeak, infrastructure is defined by three essential characteristics: real asset underpinning, long-term cash flows, and inflation protection. These elements provide durability across economic cycles and underpin investment strategies.

Venture capital continues to play a critical role in driving innovation, helping ambitious startups scale and bringing transformative technologies to market. From the rise of AI and climate tech to growing investor interest in deep-tech innovation, Europe is increasingly positioning itself as a leading destination for entrepreneurs and investors seeking long-term growth opportunities.

The programme includes a series of curated social experiences designed to complement the technical sessions, including a walking tour of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, a guided visit to the National Maritime Museum, a scenic view of River Thames, and a gala dinner & more, offering delegates relaxed opportunities to connect, unwind, and enjoy the historic setting together.

The quest to meet, and create, investor demand in Europe is moving at a frantic, yet sophisticated pace. In 2026, it might seem impossible to convene nearly 2,000 people from more than 60 countries and find them in unanimous agreement. Yet, we discovered at least some consensus in the sovereign city-state of Monaco at FundForum: the ETF industry can’t stop talking about active ETFs as agenda item number one. However, it’s not as simple as stopping there.

The digital transformation within financial markets continues to evolve, with tokenization and digital assets at the forefront of this shift. Hannah Elson, Head of Global Custody at J.P. Morgan, shared her insights into how these trends are reshaping the financial environment, focusing particularly on the regulatory landscape, technological infrastructure, and liquidity.

With over 1 billion reviews and millions of monthly users, Tripadvisor hosts one of the world’s largest travel and hospitality datasets – a scale at which consumer personalisation becomes “big business” and the cost of underutilising data becomes high. Senior Director Sanchit Janeja knows this all too well - and while AI is helping with the task, the technology is not a panacea. He says each AI personalisation use-case must be carefully considered, with no single tool guaranteeing ROI.

Client demand is shifting from a product-led, building-block approach to solutions that are outcome-oriented and designed to address an uncertain macro environment. How can wealth managers respond and fill the gaps?

In recent years, the landscape of private markets has evolved significantly, creating exciting opportunities for wealth investors seeking diverse sources of return. Traditional public markets often fall short in delivering income, total return, and diversification opportunities - areas where private markets shine.

At a glance Amid early-year market disruptions, investments, exits, and fund-raising all dragged in the first half, and liquidity remained a major challenge. AI continued to loom as a disruptive factor but also as an opportunity to transform how portfolio companies and PE firms operate. As portfolios age, proactive firms are taking important steps to increase investor distributions, but they’re also intently focused on building the systems necessary to consistently generate alpha.