I recently attended the Alternative Investment Conference at the London School of Economics, and my initial impressions of London and England as a whole (besides the atrocious weather) were overwhelmingly positive. From the moment I arrived in city center, I could sense the city’s hustling energy and its importance in international markets. Even when viewed alongside other European financial centers, England stands out for its openness to new ideas and willingness to embrace technological innovation. Looking at you France.
Through my interactions at the conference, I gained insights into the ways England’s regulatory and economic environment encourages businesses to experiment with emerging asset classes. There’s an unmistakable eagerness here to stay on the cutting edge of financial developments, something that, in my experience, sets England apart from other places in Europe. While the UK is nowhere near America in terms of innovativeness nor amounts of unicorns founded ($1B+ valuation companies), it was interesting to hear multiple speakers praise the looser regulatory environment. I learned the saying “America innovates, Europe regulates, and China imitates” from the conference which reflected my opinion on global markets as well so it was interesting to hear people praise England’s innovation scene.
Overall, the conference was quite different from what I had expected as they talked about American issues a lot such as Trump policies and tariffs. After all these are the same headlines I look at living in College Station so it was cool to know people from all around the world are looking at the same events as me (a mere college student). I also really enjoyed meeting students from all around the world and hearing how they have similar career aspirations as me despite not wanting to break into Wall Street. Overall, I am very optimistic about the future of finance as the students I met were very bright and eager to make a big impact on our world. Thank you CIBS for this opportunity and I will never forget this experience as I start my professional career!
