There is a robust discussion ongoing among academics and investors around the need for cost management in investing, providing appropriate solutions for retirement finance and the general underperformance of active managers, which has led to the bulk of “smart capital” flowing to passive strategies. At the same time a subset of believers in the industry argue that the absence of active investing can lead to the suboptimal allocation of capital, the lack of liquidity in capital markets, and more disquietingly, a reliance on passive investing can lead to the magnification of correlation shocks in periods of market stress. To discuss this and related topics, such as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing in Asia, “Fintech” disruptions to the investment industry’s business model, and the manner in which institutions, investors and academics should respond, the ABFER will bring together a panel of academic and investment experts to shed light on the issues and challenges - and address pertinent questions in the industry today.