Pictet Research Institute
Based in Geneva, the Pictet Research Institute is a Group-wide capability dedicated to research with long-term implications for investment. It engages in topics ranging from macroeconomics and geopolitics to portfolio implementation solutions.
Long-term thinking
Launched at the beginning of 2024, the Institute is a strategic initiative designed to reinforce Pictet’s leadership in investment thinking. Through its rigorous research, the Institute enables Pictet to anticipate and adapt to the evolving economic and market landscape over the long term. The Institute is staffed by a team of PhD-level researchers and collaborates with leading academics, think tanks, and Pictet Group’s internal experts.
Our research focus is long-term and strategic, rather than tactical, aiming to drive innovation in our investment thinking, processes, and offerings for the benefit of our clients and investment professionals.
About Maria Vassalou
The Pictet Research Institute is led by Maria Vassalou, PhD, who joined Pictet from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she was co-CIO of Multi-Asset Solutions. She holds a PhD in Financial Economics from London Business School.
Her 30 years of experience as both an academic and investment professional in the asset management industry will be instrumental in the production of original research.
Full biography
The Institute focuses on producing original research on long-term investment topics, including strategic asset allocation, portfolio construction, risk premia, capital market structures, global economic and investment trends, as well as sustainability.
Inaugural Symposium 2025
Heard in the Room
Held in September 2025, the Pictet Research Institute’s Inaugural Symposium brought together leading academics, industry experts and senior investment professionals from the Pictet Group.
Our Heard in the Room publication provides a summary of the presentations given at the conference.
In the news
Currency hedging: When one size doesn’t fit all
Demographics and technology: A new frontier of investment opportunities at the crossroads of population change and technological innovation
Article from Maria Vassalou published at the Financial Analysts Journal - 10 July 2026
While research often separates demographic risks (shrinking labor force) from automation’s displacement effects, this study bridges them, arguing that aging accelerates the adoption of productivity-enhancing technology, which in turn offsets demographic drag. Investors should focus on country–sector combinations that combine three key conditions: high demographic demand, significant scope for automation, and infrastructure capable of scaling these technologies. This approach moves beyond simply identifying exposure to AI or aging, looking instead at the synergistic potential between demographic change and technological adoption to drive future growth and stability.
