Digital assets: a roundtable in Manchester

Cazenove Capital's discussion event explored the role of digital assets in finance. Guests included the CEO of digital asset management firm Forteus, Schroders’ Head of Digital Assets and local entrepreneurs. Our series of short videos explores how we're innovating in digital infrastructure and supporting the emerging digital ecosystem.

Schroders and Cazenove Capital believe that the investment world is on the cusp of significant change as the industry embraces digital technology. Over time, it may allow us to construct portfolios that are even more tailored to individual investors’ requirements – and programmed to ensure they remain aligned with their long-term goals.

This evolution is still in its early stages. To find out more about recent developments, we hosted a roundtable discussion in Manchester with leading experts in the field. Our series of short videos shares highlights from the evening's discussions, with insights from:

Oliver Gregson: CEO of Schroders Wealth Management and Cazenove Capital, Oliver has over 20 years’ experience in wealth and asset management and is passionate about using technology to achieve the best outcomes for clients and colleagues.

Nicolas Vanhoutteghem: President of Forteus, a digital asset manager established in 2022 with the support of Schroders. Nicolas is based in Zurich and brings a wealth of experience from his time as a founding partner at Argentière Capital and at JPMorgan.

Marita McGinley: Marita leads Schroders’ global strategy on digital assets from Singapore. With over 15 years of experience across alternative assets, technology, and operational risk, she has previously held roles in London, New York and Switzerland.

Andy Gray: A Manchester-based entrepreneur and part of the team who co-founded digital NFT auction house KnownOrigin, which was sold to eBay in 2022. Andy is passionate about digital assets and blockchain and regularly speaks on these subjects.

Digital assets discussions

What they are and why everyone’s talking about them

Marita McGinley explains what digital assets are and how they could allow us to access traditional financial assets more efficiently. Nicolas Vanhoutteghem reflects on recent market and regulatory shifts allowing institutional investors to fully engage with digital assets.

What is their potential and why are they so significant?

"Blockchain technology is an evolution in how we store and share data...and tokenisation is an evolution in how we represent and access value," explains Marita McGinley. In practical terms, this could allow the financial services industry to move towards more personalised and automated portfolios. Stablecoins and tokenised equity are two key areas of focus.

From Engineering to Art to Ebay ‘Here’s my story’

Manchester was the birthplace of the original industrial revolution - and it's playing a key role in driving today's digital revolution. In this video, Andy Gray talks to Oliver Gregson about using blockchain technology to tackle questions of provenance in the art market.

Fund management needs to make the digital shift

AI, big data and distributed ledger technology can rewire the industry.