WEALTH MANAGEMENT SUMMIT 2026

Geopolitics, energy, and markets are moving together again, with direct effects on inflation, growth, and financial stability. Supply chain tensions, the fragmentation of economic blocs, and the strategic role of energy resources make the context increasingly unpredictable. The keynote will offer a framework for interpreting these changes not as temporary shocks, but as structural elements that wealth management will have to live with, while not overlooking the disruptive impact of technological innovation.

Starting from the global context, McKinsey will preview in Italy new research on the impacts of macro and geopolitical scenarios on business models in the sector. The presentation will show how operators' revenues, costs, and profit margins will evolve, highlighting the structural pressures that will shape the competitiveness of wealth management in the coming years: a concrete translation of the context into company figures.

In recent years, private markets have ceased to be a satellite component of portfolios and have become an increasingly central part of the global financial system. Infrastructure and private credit, in particular, are redefining the way the real economy is funded and developed. The keynote will provide an updated global perspective based on findings from McKinsey's European summit on asset management, integrating international insights with a specific focus on the Italian market. The presentation will address a key question: how do private markets evolve when they become an infrastructure of the system rather than a simple investment opportunity?

In recent years, private markets have moved beyond the institutional investor niche to increasingly enter the strategies of wealth clients. The real challenge, however, is not expanding the offering, but integrating these instruments into a wealth planning strategy consistent with the client's objectives, time horizon, and liquidity needs. The speech will offer a different perspective on the topic, showing how private markets can become a structural component of the portfolio and what role advisory services are called to play today in translating complexity, illiquidity, and long-term planning into truly informed choices.

How does a family business change when the way of thinking about capital shifts? The Mangia family will share the journey that led it to rethink its growth model: from Blackstone's entry to the rebranding, through to its transformation from resort owner to hotel management platform. A story that shows how private markets, governance, and generational transition can become a powerful growth accelerator.

In recent years, evergreen instruments have expanded access to private markets, opening up new opportunities for wealth management. However, their growth also raises questions about portfolio construction, liquidity management, and the evolution of distribution models. The panel will offer an international perspective on how evergreens are changing the relationship between private investors and private markets, and what the next challenges for the sector will be.

Private markets are now an established component of wealth management portfolios, but their large-scale adoption is still limited by an often-underestimated factor: operational infrastructure. Today, many instruments are still structured through complex, non-standardized processes and characterized by limited secondary markets, making it difficult to truly expand access to this asset class. This session will analyze how technological evolution can reduce operational inefficiencies, increase transparency and liquidity, and make private markets more accessible, efficient, and manageable over time.

In recent years, ELTIFs have opened access to private markets to an increasingly broad range of investors. However, alongside opportunities, doubts and misunderstandings have also emerged, particularly regarding investment liquidity. How does infrastructure fit into a well-diversified portfolio? What is the role of real assets in asset allocation? And why are concepts like gating and time horizons not a limitation, but rather a structural feature of these instruments? A discussion to bring clarity and offer a practical perspective on an asset class that is becoming increasingly central to wealth planning.

In a context characterized by persistent inflation, geopolitical tensions, and increasingly interconnected markets, traditional diversification is no longer sufficient. Building resilient portfolios means combining flexibility, asset quality, and the ability to adapt to different economic scenarios. The presentation will delve into the principles of multi-asset management aimed at capital preservation and long-term value creation, with a dynamic approach to allocation across different asset classes.

Certificates are taking on an increasingly sophisticated role in wealth advisory, going beyond the traditional function of capital protection. Thanks to increasingly flexible structures, they make it possible to build customized strategies tailored to the investor's objectives and varying market conditions. The presentation will analyze how these instruments are evolving, what space they occupy in portfolios today, and how technology and innovation are transforming the structured solutions market.

In recent years, private banking has expanded its scope well beyond investment management. Private markets, wealth planning, generational succession, taxation, technology, and the new needs of entrepreneurial families are transforming the advisor's role into that of an orchestrator of increasingly integrated expertise. The keynote will offer a reflection on how the service model must evolve to support wealth, businesses, and new generations in an increasingly complex landscape.

Trust is the invisible capital upon which wealth management is founded. But what happens when the client can choose between the advice of an advisor and that of an algorithm? Which elements will continue to make human relationships decisive, and which, instead, will be progressively entrusted to artificial intelligence? Through data from the Edelman Trust Barometer, Fiorella Passoni will offer a reflection on the future of trust in the era of AI, exploring how people's expectations are changing and what challenges await those who make relationships their main competitive advantage.

Wealth management is entering a new competitive phase, where change is driven not only by generational shifts, but by the emergence of new investment and distribution models. Digital platforms are redefining investor expectations: immediate access, reduced costs, and a simple, seamless experience. The keynote will offer an updated perspective on these transformations and their implications for banks and networks: not only how to attract new clients, but how to avoid being disintermediated by simpler, faster, and more scalable models.

Artificial intelligence does not merely represent a new technology, but a profound shift in organizational models. The ability to analyze large amounts of data, generate insights, and support increasingly sophisticated decisions will require new skills, new platforms, and a different way of designing the bank of the future. The speech will analyze how AI is redefining the operating model of wealth management, well beyond process automation.

In recent months, the artificial intelligence landscape has experienced an unprecedented acceleration. What was initially perceived as a predominantly technological topic has today become a strategic priority for the financial sector. AI represents not just a new technology, but a profound shift in wealth management operating models. The ability to leverage data, generate insights, and support increasingly sophisticated decisions requires new skills, intelligent platforms, and a different way of designing services and processes. During the speech, we will explore the coordinates that are redefining the sector — AI, data, and intelligent platforms — and their role in enabling a more personalized, efficient, and scalable wealth management. Because the real challenge is not simply adopting artificial intelligence, but rethinking the way value is created for clients, advisors, and financial institutions.

The generational transition is no longer a simple passing of the baton. Increasingly, it is a long process of coexistence between generations, where seniors and the Next Gen share responsibilities, skills, and strategic vision. Through data from the AUB Observatory on family businesses, Fabio Quarato will provide a snapshot of the evolution of family governance, the growing role of mentoring, and the profile of new generations of entrepreneurs. A change that also redefines the role of bankers, advisors, and professionals called upon to support families in their wealth, financial, and development choices.

For many business families, a liquidity event represents an endpoint. For the Pesenti family, it became the beginning of a new story. Ten years after the sale of Italcementi, one of the most important Italian industrial transactions, Giulio Pesenti will share how the capital generated from the sale was transformed into a long-term investment platform, encompassing private equity, Made in Italy excellence, and new growth opportunities. A testimony on the role of patient capital, the responsibility of major business families, and how an industrial legacy can continue to create value for the country.

[Private event] On the afternoon of the 3rd Wealth Management Summit, the first Family Office Closed-Doors Session by We Wealth is launched, an event within an event dedicated exclusively to Family Offices: a private room for peer discussion on the new frontier of wealth management, with targeted content on the trends transforming high-net-worth wealth management and time truly dedicated to high-level networking in a curated setting.

Selling a business does not represent the end of an entrepreneurial journey, but the beginning of a new phase. After a liquidity event, many families choose to continue investing in the real economy, making capital, experience, and relationships available to support new businesses and new projects. The speech will analyze how the role of Italian entrepreneurial families is evolving and why the real challenge is not generating liquidity, but transforming it into an engine of growth for the country.

For many entrepreneurial families, wealth is no longer limited to a financial portfolio alone. Shareholdings, real estate, private investments, and liquidity require a comprehensive overview and increasingly sophisticated coordination. The presentation will explore how wealth management changes when assets are structured across multiple asset classes, intermediaries, and jurisdictions.

Generational transition, the growth of M&A transactions, the prominent role of the Next Generation, the evolution of family governance, and the growing role of women are changing the face of major Italian business families. As the client changes, so too does the approach to advisory services. Following the keynote speech by Professor Fabio Quarato, leading figures in wealth management and wealth advisory will discuss how the needs of entrepreneurs and high-net-worth families are evolving and which skills will be decisive in guiding their choices in the coming years.

The growth of entrepreneurial wealth, the internationalization of families, and the great wealth transfer are making wealth management increasingly complex. Investments, taxation, governance, succession, and family interests require a multidisciplinary approach, in which true value stems from the ability to bring different areas of expertise together. The presentation will offer a reflection on how the role of the wealth manager changes when wealth is no longer a portfolio, but an ecosystem to be governed.

Next-generation policies are evolving from simple insurance instruments into full-fledged platforms for managing substantial wealth. Asset protection, succession planning, tax efficiency, and flexibility in financial management make private insurance an increasingly relevant component in international wealth management strategies today. The presentation will examine in depth the role of insurance solutions in building wealth designed to last over time.

Offices, logistics, prime residential, and hospitality are evolving at different speeds, while investor expectations and the role of real estate within asset portfolios are changing. The presentation will analyze which segments currently offer the most compelling prospects, how expected yields are shifting, and what role real estate can continue to play in building long-term wealth.

To close the day, the Top 200 Wealth Advisor Celebration will bring together the professionals selected by We Wealth to highlight the excellence of Italian wealth management.

An informal moment to get together, delve deeper into the themes that emerged during the day, and create new connections with speakers, partners, and key members of the We Wealth community.

[Private event]