Here is an outline of a conference covering trusts, wealth structuring and related issues to be held in Interlaken in the Swiss Alps. The conference takes place in the middle of January.

Hot topics as varied as data exchange, cross-border regulations and the impact of blockchain technology are among those vying for attention at the third annual conference to be held in Switzerland on 17 and 18 January next year by the Swiss & Liechtenstein STEP Federation. (To see a report of last year's event, click here.)

Figures from the Switzerland and Liechtenstein private client wealth management industry will gather in Interlaken in Switzerland’s Jungfrau region to debate the issues that are and potentially will capture attention in the years ahead. Continued themes of how to balance legitimate client privacy while obeying important rules remain front and centre.

The event, covered editorially by this news service, which is also a media partner, kicks off with an address from Hannah Burns, head of Olympic Games and candidatures promotion, International Olympic Committee. Previous conferences have started off with keynote talks by a former Swiss astronaut and test pilot, and a senior figure from the CERN physics laboratory near Geneva, so this conference’s speaker promises to be equally engaging.

Sessions follow on topics such as developments in trusts, and the workings of data exchange in a landscape shaped by GDPR rules and the Common Reporting Standard. There are also sessions focusing on inter-generational wealth transfer, the challenges of an ageing client base and matters of cognitive decline; the mobility of high net worth individuals; the relationship between the UK and Switzerland in a post-Brexit age, and the latest developments around a proposed Swiss trust law.

Sponsors of the conference are Industrie- Und Finanzkontor ETS, Wealth Preservation Experts; Stonehage Fleming; swissPartners Marcuard Heritage; Butterfield Trust; SwissLife; Schroder & Co Bank; Schellenberg Wittmer; Cadell + Co; LGT Private Banking; Accuro; Döhle Corporate and Trust; and ThatcherMackenzie. The conference organiser is the Beehive Partnership. 

The conference will be held at Congress Centre Kursaal, Interlaken on 17/18 January 2019. For more details about the conference, including registration and the list of speakers, click here.  

Early-bird discounted rates are available for STEP members and non-members.  These discounted rates are available until 26 October 2018 so book now to avoid disappointment.