On 26 February 2019, private investors were invited to attend the ETF Know-how event, where they were provided with the necessary tools to successfully invest in ETFs. The focus was on index tracking and opportunities to participate in the Saudi market. More than 30 private investors participated in the event held at the SIX ConventionPoint.

The expert Adrian Steiner, Passive & ETF Specialist Sales Switzerland & Liechtenstein, UBS, explained details of the different replication methods of indices and Nima Pouyan, Head of Switzerland & Liechtenstein ETF Business Development, Invesco PowerShares, highlighted the investment opportunities that the opening of the Saudi stock market holds for investors.

ETF Roundtable: Factor investing

The "ETF/ETP Roundtable", which is aimed at professional investors, took place after the event for private investors. Thirty participants from the financial and insurance industry, as well as institutional investors, attended the panel discussion "Does factor investing live up to its hype?". As an introduction to the discussion, Danielle Reischuk, Senior ETFs & ETPs Sales Manager, SIX, presented statistics on the demand for factor ETFs on the Swiss Stock Exchange. Antonio Celeste, Sales Director and Head of ESG Business Development, Ossiam, as well as Dr. Pawel Janus, Head Passive & ETF Investment Research, UBS, and Marcus Weyerer, Senior ETF Specialist, Franklin Templeton, together with Nima Pouyan, Head of Switzerland & Liechtenstein ETF Business Development, Invesco PowerShares, talked about how to include factors into the portfolio with Julian Chan, Deputy Head Media Relations, SIX, who moderated the panel discussion from a critical media point of view.

In-depth academic studies on factors, diversification by including factors in the portfolio and what will be the future factors, as well as how multifactor ETFs can be applied as the core of a portfolio were just some of the topics discussed. The panelists shared insights on how to implement factors while focusing on transparency as well as simplicity. The members of the podium also discussed the opportunities and risks that markets currently face.