National Pension Service to host 2026 Jeonju International Financial Conference next month

The National Pension Service announced Tuesday it will hold the 2026 Jeonju International Financial Conference, or JIFIC, on Sept. 3 at its Fund Management Headquarters in North Jeolla Province's innovation city.

The conference serves as the flagship session of the seventh GENIE Forum, co-hosted by the National Pension Service, North Jeolla Province, Jeonju and KB Financial Group, and will draw top-tier global financial leaders. The event will focus on asset management strategies in an era of geopolitical inflation.

GENIE stands for Global Emerging Network In Economy, representing a new network to drive the global economy. The forum runs Sept. 3-4 at the National Pension Service's Fund Management Headquarters.

The conference opens with a keynote address by Chris Hogbin, chief executive of Lazard Asset Management, followed by a special lecture from Camille Blackburn, Asia-Pacific director general of the UK's Financial Conduct Authority.

The panel discussion will feature Yoon Seok-mo, head of Samsung Securities' research center; Andy Budden, Asia-Pacific investment director at Capital Group; Andrew Sharp-Paul, Asia-Pacific solutions head at Wellington Management; Kim Seung-beom, head of asset allocation at Mirae Asset Global Investments; and Park Jong-hak, chief executive of Baring Asset Management Korea.

The seventh GENIE Forum will also include a range of financial and economic sessions, including GENIE Talk Talk and a fintech startup business meetup. Admission is free and open to all; participants can register in advance by scanning the QR code on the official promotional poster or through the GENIE Forum's official website.

"It is meaningful to have created a space where people can directly share the experiences and insights of global financial leaders," National Pension Service Chairman Kim Seong-ju said. "Particularly as the GENIE Forum and JIFIC are being held at the Fund Management Headquarters for the first time this year, I hope this becomes an opportunity for North Jeolla Province to leap forward as a global asset management hub alongside the National Pension Service."

The National Pension Fund is built from pension premium income and investment returns. The Fund Management Headquarters manages retirement assets for the public by investing in shares, bonds and alternative assets. From January through May this year, the fund posted an annualized return of 26.18%, with investment gains of 385.5 trillion won ($279 billion).