Hedge Fund Asia Digital Assets Summit 2022

Elephant in the room: Will the fall of FTX have a chilling effect on the space – what will it lead to? A drop in fund launches, more allocator caution and an increase in regulation?
Reaction to and concerns over current market conditions – is this an opportunity to shine or take cover? Will it dampen or heighten hedge fund activity in the space?
Beyond these barriers, what should propel your business into launching a digital asset fund or integrating digital assets into an existing strategy?
Despite current challenges, there is clearly huge potential for the sector and more funds are launching, but what barriers/concerns remain:

How will the fall of FTX and the likely years of legal entanglement impact digital custody solutions
There is a perception that the custody issues have been solved – is this really the case, particularly when majority of investors still see it as a problem? What are the latest custody solutions?
Issues around posting and accepting collateral – what would happen in a liquidity crisis?
Trade operations are fragmented, and execution is challenging, whether OTC or exchange. Where are the positive changes here and how will solutions plug into the traditional hedge fund infrastructure and processes?
Other areas of counter-party risk – will digital assets end up being centrally cleared like derivatives

What are the current regulatory shifts that managers need to focus on?
How does regulation in Asia compare to the rest of the world?
When will we move beyond ‘regulation as enforcement’ and to a more stable, even internationally recognized regulatory environment?
Is change just too fast-paced for regulators: If we get more clarity will it constantly be outmoded by the fast-paced nature of the sector - e.g. the sudden uptick of DeFi and smart contracts - or are we close to regulatory equilibrium
Is it possible to pursue reliable and coherent AML and KYC requests in the digi assets space
How do you define a correct tax environment when the definition of the underlying asset is a. unclear; b. rapidly evolving
Cross-border view: How are digi assets viewed by US tax authorities and international tax authorities? How are the rules currently defined and how will they change?
Can your losses in crypto be offset against none-crypto assets and vice versa? Firms are doing this, but there is no clear guidance – is this an accident waiting to happen?
Tax disclosure in your fund documentation – how do you do this for crypto and can you disclose uncertainty – and will regulators pick this up.
Tax treatment is clear on capital gains, but how well is it policed and appropriately taxed

Moving from HNW and family office interest into the institutional space – how can this be achieved?
The space has a lot of cheerleaders, but not enough of them are from large allocators, who choose not to engage or are pursuing a wait and see policy - is this starting to change?
How can you ‘derisk’ the allocation decision for institutional investors?
How do allocators understand the investment options and will more effective regulation and less hype help?
The ODD hurdles for digital asset managers – the most FAQs and how are these evolving over time