SEOUL— The 8th Global Alternative Investment Conference (GAIC 2026) will be held on May 21 at The Plaza Seoul, bringing together global investors, financial executives and academic leaders to discuss the future of alternative investments. This year’s theme, “Beyond Cycles: Investing Through Regime Change,” reflects a shifting global market environment and underscores the need for investment strategies that move beyond traditional cyclical frameworks.
[Photo by E-Daily] Professor Randolph B. Cohen of the Harvard Business School, Professor Ding Yuan of the China-Europe International Business School, Professor Bala Ramasamy of the China-Europe International Business School
Co-hosted by Edaily and KG Zeroin of KG Group, and supported by BCC Global, GAIC has since its launch in 2019 evolved into a key platform linking international asset managers with South Korea’s institutional capital. Early editions focused on introducing private equity, hedge funds and real assets to Korean investors, attracting chief investment officers and senior executives and establishing the conference as a gateway for foreign firms entering the Korean market.
By 2025, the conference had expanded in both scale and influence, emerging as a deal-oriented investment forum. Institutions including BlackRock, National Pension Service of Korea (National Pension Service) and Korea Investment Corporation (Korea Investment Corporation) were joined by sovereign wealth funds, pension plans, insurers and private equity firms from North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. South Korea’s institutional capital base—led by the National Pension Service and Korea Investment Corporation—is estimated at $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion (₩1,600 trillion to ₩2,000 trillion), making it one of the largest pools of limited partner capital globally. Academic participants from China Europe International Business School, University of Tokyo and Harvard University contributed to discussions that increasingly emphasized capital allocation, fundraising and cross-border partnerships.
[Photo by Edaily] Winston Saehoon Kim, Head of BCC Global Korea & Southeast Asia, is speaking on the topic ‘AI and Healthcare… A Time of Transformation: Lead the Change’ at the ‘2024 Global Alternative Investment Conference (GAIC)’, held on 9th at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
Within this framework, BCC Global has played a central intermediary role. Through Winston Saehoon Kim, Head of South Korea & Southeast Asia, the firm has facilitated connections between global general partners and Korean limited partners. Through curated introductions and senior-level engagement, BCC Global has helped translate conference participation into investor meetings, mandate discussions and longer-term partnerships, reinforcing GAIC’s role as a conduit for cross-border capital flows.
Market participants say GAIC’s value lies in its execution focus. The conference provides direct access to Asia’s deep institutional capital base, enables efficient deal sourcing and offers insight into regulatory developments and portfolio strategies. Contributions from Bala Ramasamy and Ding Yuan of CEIBS, alongside Motohashi Katsuyuki and Randolph Cohen, highlight the blend of academic perspective and market pragmatism. In practice, according to a financial investment insider, GAIC has evolved beyond a traditional conference into a platform for capital formation, partnership development and long-term positioning in Asia’s alternative investment landscape.