NPS to Seek Solutions to 'Geopolitical Inflation' With Global Asset Managers [fn Market Watch]

[Financial News]  The National Pension Service (NPS), the largest player in South Korea's capital market, will discuss asset allocation strategies with global asset managers in a market environment where geopolitical uncertainty is becoming more prolonged. The issue is drawing attention because geopolitical conflict is now seen as a key variable for long-term investors, as it shakes inflation, supply chains and asset prices at the same time, beyond the usual focus on interest rates and economic cycles.
According to the NPS on the 25th, the 2026 Jeonbuk International Finance Conference (JIFIC) will be held on Sept. 3 at the NPS Fund Management Headquarters in Jeonbuk Innovation City. This year's theme is "Investment Strategies in the Era of Geopolitical Inflation."
This will be the first time JIFIC has been held at the NPS Fund Management Headquarters. It means global financial firms and domestic capital market experts will discuss long-term investment strategies at the operating site of one of the world's largest public pension funds.
In the asset management industry, there is growing recognition that conflicts between countries, tariffs and supply chain realignments are disrupting inflation and interest-rate paths, making changes to traditional stock-and-bond-centered asset allocation necessary.
A senior industry official said, "For a pension fund with a long investment horizon like the NPS, the more important issue is not short-term market forecasts, but how geopolitical changes will affect long-term expected returns and allocation across asset classes." The official added, "It is meaningful that these issues are being discussed directly with global asset managers."
At the conference, Chris Hogbin, CEO of Lazard Asset Management, will deliver the keynote address, while Camille Blackburn, Asia-Pacific head at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom, will give a special lecture.
The panel discussion will include Seokmo Yoon, Research Head at Samsung Securities Co., Ltd.; Andy Burden, Asia-Pacific chief investment officer at Capital Group; Andrew Sharp Paul, Asia-Pacific head of solutions at Wellington Management; Kim Seung-beom, head of the asset allocation division at Mirae Asset Global Investments Co., Ltd.; and Park Jong-hak, CEO of Baring Asset Management Korea Limited.
Meanwhile, this year's JIFIC is a key program of the 7th GENIE Forum, co-hosted by the NPS, North Jeolla Province, Jeonju-si and KB Financial Group. The forum will run from Sept. 3 to 4 with sessions on finance and economics, as well as business meetups for fintech startups.
Kim Sung-ju, Chairman of the NPS, said, "We hope this will be an opportunity to seek new investment strategies amid geopolitical uncertainty and for North Jeolla Province to take a leap forward as a global asset management hub together with the NPS."

[email protected] Kim Kyung-a Reporter