In the vast ocean of modern finance, two titans rise above the waves: ESG and AI. ESG, once merely a fleeting trend, has now anchored itself as the cornerstone of sustainable business and conscientious financial planning. Conversely, AI isn’t merely another tech novelty—it's a transformative force, revolutionizing big data analytics and sending predictive modeling soaring to new summits. During a riveting keynote on the second day, Omar Selim illustrated how his firm, Arabesque, harnesses AI's prowess to craft portfolios – a kind of portfolio that not only promise returns but also resonate with values, paving the way for a financial future we can all stand behind with pride.

About The Speaker and the Firm

Established in 2013, Arabesque Group is built on the two disruptors of modern finance – ESG and AI to deliver new experience of sustainable Finance. Incubating companies including ESG books, Arabesque AI, the group leverage data, and technology in with the belief that economic value creation should be combined with environmental stewardship, social inclusion, and sound governance for a changing world.

Understanding ESG

The term ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) originated 25 years ago. It underscores non-financial information that is pivotal for assessing a corporation's sustainability. But how can one leverage this data?

Touched on that Arabesque embarked on the journey a decade ago, believing that these disruptors would shape the future. One of the attempts was to fuse AI and sustainable data. But mere collection wasn't the end goal - understanding the data's suitability and integrating it with AI to reveal performance trends was the crux.

The Role of AI in the Process

Having abundant ESG data isn’t enough. Omar addresses that the real challenge lies in harnessing its potential. That's where AI comes into play. By filtering out the noise from unstructured data, AI helps focus on pertinent details. Integrating this data with AI ensures investment decisions are not just random selections but are based on comprehensive analysis.

This also allows for a new method of portfolio management which Omar mentioned that the forthcoming era of portfolios manager will likely be characterized by an innovative financial approach. These trailblazers will leverage sustainability, focusing on the company dynamics rather than mere performance metrics. And with AI's prowess, these managers will be equipped to deliver customized, high-performing portfolios that align with individual investor values.

This might be a Tesla moment for the Finance industry.

Technological Imperative in Portfolio Management

Additionally, Portfolio managers of the future won't be mere supervisors but facilitators who leverage technology to curate and manage multiple portfolios simultaneously. This is analogous to semi-autonomous driving, where the role isn’t eradicated but evolved. Given the historical lag of human-managed portfolios behind their benchmarks, technology-driven strategies can redefine the performance paradigm.

Delivering with Emotion

Even as we speak of high-level analytics and machine-driven portfolios, there remains a missing element – emotional connection. For Omar, the finance world is yet to achieve a 'lifestyle freedom,' wherein individuals truly connect with their investments. This gap underscores the need for an emotional touch, making investing not just a chore but a passion.

Through Arabesque approach, they amalgamated the excitement people derive from entities like football clubs and celebrities into AI-driven portfolios. Thus, investments mirror the unique attributes and values of these inspirations, adding an emotional dimension to finance, letting individuals invest base on who their role model and who they aspired to be.

Ultimately, the journey towards integrating sustainability and AI in finance is both challenging and exhilarating. The aim is to strike a chord with investors by intertwining performance with emotions, ensuring the realm of investing isn’t just lucrative but also deeply engaging.

As we tread this transformative path, Omar defines the future of finance promises not just numbers but emotional money. It's not just about investments, but making the process fun and meaningful through technology, innovation, and, most importantly, emotional resonance.