The Bulgarian CFA Society, the Bulgarian Chapter of CFA Institute, the leading global association of investment professionals, held its Annual Conference on 9th of March, which was hosted in-person for the first time since the appearance of COVID-19. The Capital Markets and Investments conference was attended by Bulgarian CFA Charterholders and other investment professionals, and was a discussion between selected prominent speakers and the audience. Notable panellists on the stage were Martin Paev, (Managing Director of SORTIS Invest), Nikolay Vassilev (Managing Partner of Expat Capital), Kalin Metodiev (President of Bulgarian CFA society), Elvin Guri (Managing Partner of Empower Capital), and Nikola Yankov (Managing Partner of Expat Capital).
Topics covered by the great line-up of innovative thinkers ranged from managing the current economic and geopolitical realities, to the state of Bulgarian capital markets and an outline on how to improve them, which relied on comparison between stock exchange practices in neighbouring countries versus the Bulgarian stock exchange. The forum brought together investors, experts and successful practitioners in the financial industry of Bulgaria.
This year’s conference focused heavily on strategies to navigate the risk caused by the evolving war in Ukraine, as well as the potential fallout of the conflict, such as inflation and debt. Mr. Nikolay Vassilev, Managing Partner of Expat Capital and former Minister shared his advice for living and working through a crisis & recession.
“Our mission with this conference was to promote the community’s knowledge and professional experience in the global investment industry, while highlighting topics of importance to the wellbeing of the Bulgarian economy” said Martin Paev, Chairman of SORTIS Group.
To the surprise of all participants and speakers, a deputy minister of the newly formed Ministry of Innovation, Ms. Desislava Boneva attended the talk and Q&A discussion afterwards, which marks the first time a government official is present at a CFA conference in the last 17 years and displays the new government’s efforts to listen to the needs of the Bulgarian financial and investment industry.
About SORTIS Invest
SORTIS Invest is an investment banking boutique, based in Sofia, Bulgaria, part of SORTIS Group. It is a member of GlobalScope Partners, a global family of 55 independent M&A firms in 46 countries with a team of 650 professionals and more than 10,000 completed mergers and acquisitions and private equity deals worldwide. SORTIS Invest advises companies on mergers & acquisitions and fundraisings, as well as valuations and financial modelling of business cases. SORTIS Invest has a broad partner network and extensive experience in the fields of corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions.
SORTIS Invest has advised clients in various sectors including Telecommunications, Media and Technology (TMT), financial services, food and beverages, life sciences, chemicals, education, defense, manufacturing, energy, mining, transport and logistics, hospitality and real estate.
About CFA Institute
CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organisation is a champion of ethical behaviour in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. Its aim is to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. There are more than 170,000 CFA Charterholders worldwide in 162 markets. CFA Institute has nine offices worldwide and there are 158 local member societies.
