The Private Banking and Financial Advisors Forum is being held at CUNEF University
10 June 2026
The16th Private Banking and Financial Advisors Forum, organized by Inversión magazine andGrupo Economía Digital, took place in the Auditorium of the Almansa Campus of CUNEF University and brought together more than 140 attendees to hear financial forecasts from experts such as economist Javier Santacruz, Nicolás Barquero, Director of Specialized Solutions at Santander Private Banking, Óscar Esteban, Iberia Business Head at Fidelity International; and Sol Hurtado de Mendoza, managing director for Spain and Portugal at BNP Paribas Asset Management, among others.
Iván Blanco, director of the Master’s in Finance program at CUNEF University, opened the event, emphasizing that education in finance is essential, as financial decisions shape our lives and our future.
In this regard, Javier Santacruz noted that, at present, the main threat to many portfolios is no longer taking on too much risk, but rather avoiding it. This forecast resonated with Nicolás Barquero, Xavier Blanquet (Banco Sabadell), Juan Llamas (Caixabank), and Olga Montañés (BBVA).
According to Santacruz,“the global economy is heading toward a phase characterized by moderate growth, structurally higher inflation, and higher interest rates for a longer period,”an environment distinct from the one that dominated much of the previous decade and one that requires a rethinking of many traditional investment decisions.
Liquidity, Inflation, and Wealth
At the opening panel on banking, Barquero, Blanquet, Llamas, and Montañés agreed that liquidity remains a necessary tool for managing uncertainty and capitalizing on opportunities, but they cautioned that holding excessive cash positions can become a source of wealth erosion when inflation remains above the return earned on that capital.
“Today, staying in cash means less wealth,”summarized Diego Abaitua, secretary general and director of private banking at Renta 4, while noting that wealth preservation requires keeping capital invested through a coherent strategy tailored to each client.
From Products to Life Goals
Another recurring theme of the event was the transformation that the private banking industry itself is undergoing.
Industry professionals noted that high-net-worth clients are increasingly seeking guidance on decisions that go beyond the mere selection of financial products. Estate planning, the organization of family wealth, business ownership stakes, and financing for the next generation are now a regular part of conversations between advisors and clients.
In this context, added value is no longer limited to portfolio construction but has shifted toward the ability to prioritize goals, risks, and time horizons.
In addition, the role of AI in markets and investing was discussed. On this point, experts agreed that AI represents an economic transformation of enormous scope, but they cautioned against the risk of concentrating all investor attention on a small number of technology companies.
“We are in a new phase of industrial transformation driven by AI,”noted Óscar Esteban, Iberia business head at Fidelity International, who argued that the opportunities associated with this transformation extend far beyond developers of artificial intelligence models and encompass industrial sectors, infrastructure, energy, automation, and telecommunications.
Participants emphasized the importance of combining active management, valuation discipline, and a long-term vision to identify the winners of an economic transformation that is expected to last for years.
Advisory Services Gain Importance
The event concluded with another message shared by many of the participants: the more complex the economic environment becomes, the more value personalized advice gains.
The expansion of financial advisor networks and the growing demand for specialized professionals reflect precisely this trend. Juan Massana, commercial director at Banco Mediolanum, argued that the growth of these models responds to an ever-increasing demand for stable and personalized relationships. In his words,“clients are always served by the same people, and that allows us to offer what best suits their profile and needs.”
For CUNEF University, it is essential to collaborate on and host events of this kind, which help gauge the current state of the financial sector and continue to promote high-quality, up-to-date academic education that is in step with developments in the world of banking and financial markets.
