Infralogic Investors Forum - Japan 2022

The premier infrastructure investors forum in Japan

The Conrad, Tokyo and online

Agenda

08:00
JST

Registration

08:45
JST

Opening remarks and market overview

09:30 - 10:30
JST

Global landscape: The next phase for infrastructure investors

Last year, deal volume increased by almost 27% to USD923.7 billion from USD727.5 billion in 2020. Moreover, according to Infralogic data, the total annual fund capital raised at final close set a new high mark of USD109.23 billion in 2021. With the necessary capital raised, GPs are on the hunt for deals, whether in core assets, new sectors that capture the potential of decarbonisation and digitalisation, or geographies and strategies that offer diversification and harness growth. Against a backdrop of macro geo-political issues, our panel of global investors will share the investment plans they have developed to seize current infrastructure global opportunities.

  • What impact are macro-political and economic issues having on the asset class?
  • Which sectors and geographies present the best opportunities for growth?
  • How do you develop a winning ESG initiative across an infrastructure portfolio?
  • Which geographies should LPs with an appetite for risk look at over the next five years?
  • How has the pool of investable companies evolved, and what does this mean for the core infrastructure model?
10:30 - 11:00
JST

Networking break

11:00 - 12:00
JST

Japan: Unlocking opportunities

As a more diversified pipeline of deals emerge, there is greater optimism compared to previous years for a rise in domestic infrastructure activity. Investors in Japan’s digital infrastructure space are upbeat and keenly monitoring several assets, including data centres and telecommunications towers. Government pronouncements pointing towards a new action plan to increase PPP and PFI projects are encouraging and could unlock opportunities across a range of assets beyond airports, such as energy, roads, schools, hospitals, bridges and tunnels. That said, the question remains as to whether the infrastructure market will see a seismic shift that delivers more deals offering returns that are attractive to private capital. An esteemed panel of investors will discuss the outlook, where they will be investing, and what the industry needs to do to develop.

  • Where are the opportunities for GPs, and what is in the pipeline for deals?
  • What returns are being delivered, and how does this match investor expectations?
  • How are deals sourced and executed in a digital infrastructure?
  • How do investors evaluate the government’s initiatives to increase PPP and PFI projects?
  • How have the opportunities evolved, and what needs to happen for Japan to continue to develop as a robust infrastructure and energy market?
12:00 - 12:45
JST

Global energy outlook: Investing in transition

Barely a day goes by without seeing energy transition in the headlines, as the debate over how and when it should take place heats up, with roughly USD20 trillion needed for decarbonising global economies and roughly two-thirds of this coming from private capital. Investment levels in the renewable energy space are high, as is LP appetite. However, issues relating to storage, firming capacity, grid access, regulation, and policy remain unresolved. In this session, a panel of international experts discuss which technologies, projects, and funding structures stack up for investors, how LPs should access the opportunity, and the market conditions for returns. 

  • Which part of the renewable sector are investors bidding on to deliver consistent returns?
  • What is the outlook for storage technologies and grid reliability for renewables?
  • How have various governments provided incentives to attract private investment?
  • Which are the most popular markets globally for renewables in 2023 and beyond?
  • How should an LP think about renewables as part of an overall infrastructure portfolio?
12:45 - 13:45
JST

Networking Lunch

13:45 - 14:30
JST

2022 and beyond: Infrastructure investment in a post-COVID-19 world

The events of the past two years have impacted the way people live, work, travel, shop, and communicate. Figuring out the extent of this paradigm shift, and where temporary changes become ingrained habits, is essential to fashioning investment theses. For infrastructure investors, flexing the definition and finding an angle to broaden the scope of the asset class in order to participate in sectors that are experiencing unprecedented growth has enabled a flurry of deals and new projects in telecom towers, data centres, fibre-optic networks, healthcare and screening services, and other non-core sectors. In this discussion, a panel of industry experts will review the opportunities.

  • Which sectors have the best prospects for capturing growth? 
  • Has digital transformation changed the definition of infrastructure? 
  • How do you measure the long-term risk and return profile? 
  • What type of skills are required to manage these assets?
  • How has the infrastructure space and GP landscape evolved? 
14:30 - 15:15
JST

Japanese renewables: Making headlines

The renewable energy market in Japan continues to be a hot topic, and investors looking to seize the opportunity have been confronted by challenges in the sector as they hunt for deals in the most active segment of the domestic infrastructure space. The future status of wind projects off the coast of Japan is getting plenty of coverage, and industry players are hoping for a more competitive bidding process than the last round amidst expected new screening criteria for upcoming tenders. Japan’s solar power industry is also facing a new challenge in the form of a tax on solar panels that is threatening to reduce investor returns and impact the country's push for renewables. Despite these issues, the macro-story for Japan’s renewables is undeniable, making it intriguing to see how investors will unlock the opportunity. In this discussion, a panel of industry experts will review the current state of the market and what needs to be done.
 

  • Which sectors are investors bidding on to deliver consistent returns?
  • What policies and regulations are in the pipeline to support the industry?
  • How can you navigate the challenges facing the renewables space?
  • What is the outlook for storage technologies for renewables?
  • How do investors evaluate the government’s initiatives to boost the renewables sector?
15:15 - 15:45
JST

Networking Break

15:45 - 16:30
JST

LP spotlight: Staying on track with infrastructure

Large institutional investors in Japan continue to increase allocation in infrastructure and broadened their thesis to look at non-core opportunities in the hunt for steady returns. As LPs consider their next move, disruption to the asset class, along with the events of the last two years, will factor into their thinking as they look to pivot, remain proactive, and oversee their portfolio to manage risk while capitalising on the opportunities present in 2023 and beyond. In this session, a panel of experienced institutional investors will discuss their investment strategy, portfolio construction philosophies, and outlook for committing to infrastructure funds in a post-COVID-19 world. 

  • Is ESG playing a larger role in asset allocation, and how do LPs monitor performance?
  • How are LPs handling shorter fundraising cycles and the risk of re-ups outpacing allocation plans?
  • How should international funds approach domestic LPs when fundraising, and has this been affected by the pandemic?
  • What is the LP response to private equity and infrastructure overlap?
  • What are the key challenges in manager selection and portfolio balancing?
16:30
JST

Networking drinks