«Disruption has become a fact of life in finance and society,» Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam said at an Asian investment conference hosted by the Swiss bank. «We must adjust to a new reality.»

The world is undergoing changes and disruption which rank among the biggest the global economy has ever seen: from increasing volatility in financial markets, to escalating geopolitical risks, accelerating technological change and the challenges of an aging world.

«We must adjust to a new reality,» Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam said in his opening speech at this year’s Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong on Monday. The digital disruption offers boundless opportunities, Thiam argued.

«The Asia-Pacific region is key for Credit Suisse and central in our strategy», Thiam said and highlighted that the number of billionaires in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan has grown more than 30 percent in the last year. «Today, there are more billionaires in greater China than in the U.S., he said.

Over 120 Speakers

The four-day Asian Investment Conference, or AIC, lasts until Thursday in Hong Kong and connects some 3,000 institutional investors, hedge funds, and ultra and high net worth individuals, as well as CEOs and CFOs of about 300 companies, with influential thinkers and opinion leaders. Around 7,000 private meetings and workshops with clients and corporates are to take place on the sidelines of the conference.

A line-up of over 120 speakers, including political leaders, policymakers, economists, leading entrepreneurs and academics, gather at the event to interact and share insights with attendees. The key speakers include former U.S. presidential adviser Reince Priebus, former IMF chief economist Raghuram Rajan, Standard Chartered boss Bill Winters, and Snapchat strategy head (and former Credit Suisse banker) Imran Khan.

Disruption as Usual

The theme of this year's conference is «Disruption as Usual». «Nowadays we are learning to adapt quickly to disruption and its impact across a wide variety of arenas,» Credit Suisse Asia Pacific CEO Helman Sitohang said

«At this year’s AIC, we will focus on sharing insights into changes already happening and those on the horizon, and where Credit Suisse is activating opportunities for our key clients, many of whom are leading innovators themselves.»