An independent financial advisory community is an important ingredient for sustainable investment, according to Anthony Neoh, chief adviser to the China Securities Regulatory Commission.
Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural conference of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia on Friday, Mr Neoh said regulators around the world had begun to recognise that independent advisers were needed to help the public adopt long-term investment plans.
'For fund managers, the time horizons are getting shorter and shorter,' he said.
'You have clients who look at their fund managers and say 'I want results today, not next year'. That is the predicament a lot of investment managers have to face.'
Mr Neoh said many consumers were sceptical about long-term financial advice as it was often offered by those who were also trying to sell products.
'Right now, everything is short-term, not only in Hong Kong, but in China, the UK and the US. We have to begin to look at longer term horizons for investments. We need to show the consumer that this is really good for them and it does work.'
