In episode 80, Alex Proimos speaks with Winston Ma, investor, attorney, adjunct professor in the global digital economy, and author of The Hunt for Unicorns: How Sovereign Funds Are Reshaping Investment in the Digital Economy.

This episode discusses Winston’s background and what drove him to write his latest book. We cover the questions on who holds power in the financial markets today and why sovereign funds are more important today. We explore the typical investing style of sovereign funds and their move away from being market stabilisers to be being more direct and active in their investments. Next, we discuss several examples whereby the sovereign funds blend policy and investment to achieve domestic impact, i.e. 5G fund in the USA, 6G fund in Japan and a speciality silicon chip fund in China to counteract global tensions. Finally, we talk about the misconceptions around large asset owners, the need for better governance and transparency and how collaboration and partnering could counteract some of the concerns regarding bad actors.