The Tenth Public Investors Conference

17–18 November 2026
Mexico City

In recent years, the global economy has undergone significant structural upheaval, characterised by persistently higher-than-target inflation in certain economies, geopolitical realignments, financial fragmentation, fiscal concerns in different regions, and asset price appreciation driven by investments in artificial intelligence. This evolving landscape is reshaping priorities for both economic stakeholders and investors, and has significantly altered the correlation dynamics of asset returns, placing – in particular – public investors under pressure to adapt their practices to meet the demands of this ever-changing world. Simultaneously, the mounting impacts of climate change have prompted investors to continue exploring ways of incorporating sustainability considerations into their strategies, while also delving into emerging areas such as adaptation finance. Public investment managers must navigate these challenges, while enhancing their practices in response to rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. This development could significantly influence their trading practices, information consumption, strategic asset allocation, risk management methodologies and resource allocation.

In this context, from 17 to 18 November 2026, the Tenth Public Investors Conference will aim to explore a variety of relevant issues, with particular emphasis on the following:

Macroeconomic environment and geopolitical risk

How should public investors account for geopolitical trends when formulating risk and return expectations? Are there changes in the risk tolerance and asset allocation of public investors? Are there opportunities to revisit and reassess alternative investment strategies? Should factors such as fiscal policies, the regulatory environment, de-globalisation, or currency reallocation be incorporated? How should public investors adjust their risk models and portfolio strategies in response to evolving monetary-fiscal dynamics?

Artificial intelligence (AI), digitalization and alternative data in public investment management

How can artificial intelligence – including machine learning, reinforcement learning, and deep learning (eg large language models) – be applied to portfolio construction, risk management and other areas relevant to public investors? How to integrate new alternative data? What governance frameworks are needed to ensure the responsible and resilient deployment of AI in public sector investment decisions? Are there any implications from other emerging technologies for public investors? Is there a role for digital currencies in public investors' portfolios?

Robust asset allocation and asset-liability models for public investors

In what manner can portfolio construction and risk management models incorporate the current environment and economic or financial regimes? Which alternative approaches can be adopted to account for potential breakdowns in correlation structures? How can public investors, including central banks, incorporate prospective liability considerations into strategic asset allocation? Do private assets bring benefits to public investors' strategic asset allocation? What steps have public pension plans and sovereign wealth funds taken to address ongoing structural trends such as demographics and any changes in actuarial assumptions?

Sustainability and long-term risk integration

How can the impact of sustainability considerations on the expected returns and risks of assets best be assessed? How can risk management be enhanced to incorporate sustainability factors? How can asset allocation models be affected by sustainability considerations, going beyond the classical wealth maximization framework? What is the best way to handle data quality and heterogeneity issues concerning sustainability factors? How do we model nature and biodiversity risks? How can public investors operationalize nature-positive investment strategies given data limitations and the spatial complexity of biodiversity risks? To what extent, and how, is adaptation finance relevant for public investors?