Digital theme at STEP conference

Tuesday 10 November 2015

The management of digital assets and the security issues surrounding them are an increasingly important part of the work of wealth management professionals so this year’s STEP Jersey Annual International Conference had a digital theme running through it.

The conference, the branch’s 23rd, also included a number of more traditional trust-related topics delivered by leading local, national and international speakers.

A keynote address was given by Treasury Minister Alan Maclean who spoke about the investment being made by the States in the digital environment.

"Enabling the creation of cutting-edge digital services in Jersey is the next natural step in our evolution as a world-class international finance centre," he said.

"Investment in infrastructure is one of, if not the single most important element for any jurisdiction that is serious about placing digital at the heart of its future business model."

The subjects covered at the conference, which was held at the Pomme d’Or Hotel on 05 November and attended by some 150 delegates, were: Identifying and protecting valuable intangible assets (Jackie Maguire, Coller IP); Ownership and devolution of digital assets (Andrew Shaw, Smith & Williamson);      Fintech and Crowdfunding (Sara Johns and Alexander Curry, Ogier); Trust cases update 2015 (Shân Warnock Smith, QC, ICT Chambers/5 Stone Buildings); Regulatory Update (John Everett, Jersey Financial Services Commission); Not set in stone: varying the foreign settlor’s trust, (Andrew De La Rosa, ICT Chambers); Jersey solutions for Israeli residents: and — is Israel the next Silicon Valley?(Inbal Faibish Wassmer, ROSAK); Cyber security; personal security, threats, social media, Heyrick Bond-Gunning (S-RM); Managing the risks of social media and digital assets across the employment lifecycle, (Becky Hill, HR Now); Cyber risk—is it real? (Andy Jarrett, Digital Jersey); Intellectual Property: Should businesses or trusts have a plan? Matthew Hives (One Stop IP).

The event was sponsored by Azure Wealth, RBC Wealth Management, Salamanca Group, Savills, Smith & Williamson, Stephenson Harwood, TMF Group and Vistra.

The conference was hailed a success by the organisers. STEP Jersey Chair Lorraine Wheeler said: "We were delighted with this year’s event which was once again a huge success.

"It is important for members of the industry in Jersey to gain exposure to experts in the field to enable them to keep up to date with current trends and we are grateful to all our speakers for taking the time to participate. I would also like to thank our sponsors for their support in enabling events such as the conference to take place."