Artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and associated services will dominate major trends in investments during this decade, according to the findings unveiled by Continental Group, an insurance intermediary and financial services solutions provider in the GCC region.

The findings were based on the recent webinar discussion and a poll bringing leading voices in the financial industry together, to share their expertise, and demystify the market forces influencing post-pandemic investments. Neelam Verma, Vice President and Head of Investments, The Continental Group; Esty Dwek, head of global market strategy, Natixis; Karen Kharmandarian, senior portfolio manager, Thematics Asset Management were the main speakers, and the session was moderated by Anselm Mendes, executive director of sales and technology, The Continental Group.

“At The Continental Group, our focus has always been towards providing well-researched themes within equity and fixed income space to build our clients’ wealth, completely aligned within their risk tolerance. Our recently concluded webinar, ‘What Themes will Define the Decade: Harness the potential of thematic investment strategies for structural growth’, showcases our commitment towards achieving investors’ financial goals and objectives with the help of our experienced team of advisors with unwavering passion. As we move towards the new normal, our clients can look forward to innovative thematic solutions and offerings to add to their portfolios,” said Verma.

Verma

Kharmandarian said: “As we gear up for the post-pandemic revival, this larger context was the perfect backdrop for the Continental Group to host a webinar on thematic investment strategies, and bring diverse ideas to the table. Such endeavours will help all our stakeholders to effectively navigate new challenges, and extract maximum value from the newly emerging digital investment classes.”

According to The Continental Group, there has been a recent uptick in investment activity after a prolonged downturn due to the pandemic. The new wave is also accompanied by a renewed market outlook, increased focus on AI and robotics, and an accelerated shift towards thematic investments.

As per the findings, 71 per cent of the respondents agreed that new technology trends will dominate investments and 26 per cent of the respondents opted for ESG impact investing while a small fraction of 3 per cent opted for safety-related domains.

Dwek said: “As opposed to conventional investment instruments, thematic equities and ESG-related funds proved to be more resilient against pandemic headwinds. This was a precursor to the broader shift towards mega-trends around investments in the areas of environment, water security, green cities, and AI; which have significant long-term relevance.”

The findings also indicated that with the meteoric increase in connected devices - all generating more and more data - the technology theme holds promise, especially within the context of AI and robotics.

As an initiative to create further financial awareness, The Continental Group will be hosting another webinar on ‘Investment Opportunities and Challenges in Asian markets’ in the near future.