Savings Salon 2026: how to invest better with over 100 conferences on ETFs, savings and returns

The Savings Salon 2026 has returned, and it did so with renewed strength. This year's edition confirms itself as the most important Italian event dedicated to savings management and investments, bringing together thousands of professionals, savers, advisors and financial sector operators in Milan. For anyone who wants to invest more consciously or simply stay updated on market trends, this event represents an unparalleled opportunity in the national landscape.

With over one hundred conferences scheduled, the 2026 Salon spans a wide range of topics that encompasses every aspect of personal and institutional finance: from retirement planning to ETFs, from managed savings to strategies for maximizing your portfolio returns. This is not an event reserved solely for professionals: the vocation of the Milan appointment is increasingly aimed at the average saver, who in recent years has demonstrated a growing desire to understand, decide and actively participate in managing their wealth.

In a macroeconomic context still marked by uncertainty — between slowly declining interest rates, residual inflationary pressures and volatile stock markets — having access to data, analysis and conversations with top-level experts is something precious. The Savings Salon 2026 offers exactly that.

Savings Salon 2026: the program and main themes

The 2026 edition was held at the Milan Fair Convention Center, consolidating a format that over the years has managed to evolve without losing its identity. The program was organized into well-defined thematic areas, designed to guide visitors based on their interests and level of financial knowledge.

Among the most followed topics stand out:

• Sustainable investments and ESG: responsible finance remains a hot topic, with conferences dedicated to environmental, social and governance criteria as tools for selecting assets with good return prospects over the long term.
• ETFs and passive funds: perhaps the liveliest segment of the entire event. The growth of ETFs in Italy is unstoppable and the 2026 Salon dedicated numerous sessions to how to build an efficient portfolio using low-cost instruments.
• Complementary pension provisions: with the public pension system under increasing pressure, pension funds and private pension savings arrangements have made a strong comeback in the debate.
• Wealth and estate planning: a cross-cutting topic that interests families and professionals, with focus on tools such as life insurance policies, trusts and real estate funds.
• Emerging markets and global diversification: in an interconnected world, investing only in Italy or Europe is not enough. Sessions dedicated to emerging markets attracted particular interest.

The presence of international speakers further enriched the debate, bringing global perspectives on topics such as Federal Reserve and ECB monetary policy, the implications of investments in artificial intelligence and the future of the bond market.

ETFs and managed savings: what experts say in 2026

If there's one topic that dominated conversations at the Savings Salon 2026, it's undoubtedly that of ETFs. Exchange Traded Funds — instruments that passively replicate a market index — have definitively won over the Italian saver, historically more conservative than their Northern European or Anglo-Saxon counterparts.

The data speaks for itself: in 2025, ETFs listed on the Italian Stock Exchange exceeded 120 billion euros in assets under management, with growth showing no signs of slowing. The reason is simple: low costs, high transparency and returns that are generally competitive with active funds over the long term.

The Salon's conferences explored several practical aspects:

1. How to choose an ETF: not all ETFs are created equal. Among physical and synthetic replication ETFs, with or without currency hedging, distributing or accumulating, there are many variables to consider. Experts guided participants through the most important selection criteria.

2. The total cost of an investment (TER): the Total Expense Ratio is often overlooked by savers, but it impacts net returns significantly over the long term. An ETF with a 0.10% TER instead of 1.50% can make an enormous difference over twenty years of continuous investing.

3. Thematic ETFs vs. broad market ETFs: should you invest in a global index like the MSCI World or focus on specific sectors like technology, clean energy or healthcare? The debate is open, but most of the experts present at the Salon recommended keeping the core of your portfolio in broad indices, limiting thematic ones to a residual amount.

4. Systematic investment plans (SIP) and volatility: in a volatile market, investing a fixed amount each month through an SIP in ETFs allows you to leverage the dollar cost averaging principle, reducing the risk of buying at peaks. A simple but powerful strategy, strongly promoted by many speakers.

How to maximize returns: practical strategies for the Italian saver

Investing well doesn't necessarily mean investing more. It means investing methodically, with patience and a clear understanding of your risk profile. The sessions at the Savings Salon 2026 dedicated to personal finance offered concrete and immediately applicable insights for those starting from scratch.

Here are the most recurring tips that emerged from the conferences:

1. Define your objectives before your tools Before deciding whether to invest in ETFs, funds, stocks or bonds, it's essential to ask yourself: why am I investing? A 30-year objective (retirement) tolerates more risk than a 3-year one (home purchase). Clarity about your objectives is the starting point of any effective strategy.

2. Diversify genuinely Many Italians think they're diversifying by buying three equity funds instead of one. But if all three replicate the S&P 500 index, diversification is only apparent. True diversification embraces different asset classes (stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities) and different geographies.

3. Control costs obsessively Every euro paid in fees is a euro less working for the saver. Costs to monitor include: ETF or fund TER, trading commissions, advisory fees. Over a 20-30 year horizon, reducing costs by 1% annually can translate into tens of thousands of euros more in your account.

4. Don't try to beat the market The statistics are ruthless: 80-90% of actively managed funds fail to outperform their benchmark index over decades. Focusing on passive instruments like ETFs, except in specific situations, is a rational choice supported by data.

5. Review your portfolio periodically A well-constructed portfolio cannot be left to its own devices. Periodic rebalancing — that is, adjusting allocations when they drift from initial targets — is a fundamental practice for maintaining your desired risk profile and, in some cases, improving overall returns.

The Savings Salon and personal finance: a growing community

One of the most interesting aspects of the Savings Salon 2026 is its growing openness to the retail public, that is, non-professional savers. Until a few years ago, the event was perceived as an exclusively B2B appointment, attended by fund managers, banks and consulting firms. Today that perspective has changed.

Accessible sessions in Italian, practical workshops, opportunities for direct engagement with experts and the presence of personal finance creators and journalists have transformed the Salon into a meeting point between professional finance and everyday finance. This change reflects a broader trend: Italians are becoming more active savers, driven also by the awareness that blindly relying on their trusted bank is no longer enough.

Digitalization has accelerated this process. Online investment platforms, automatic savings apps, robo-advisors and online communities have democratized access to financial instruments. The Savings Salon 2026 recognized this shift, dedicating space to fintech and financial education as pillars of the sector's future.

Another theme that emerged strongly is that of independent advisory: more and more Italians are seeking advisors who work in their interest rather than that of product houses. The fee-only model — where the advisor is paid directly by the client and does not receive commissions — found ample space in conferences dedicated to wealth planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Savings Salon and who is it for? A: The Savings Salon is the leading Italian event dedicated to savings management and investing. It's aimed at both financial industry professionals and private savers who want to improve their financial knowledge and learn about the latest market trends.

Q: Are ETFs suitable even for those just starting to invest? A: Yes, ETFs are often considered one of the most suitable tools for those approaching investing for the first time. They offer immediate diversification, low costs and operational simplicity. An ETF on a global index like the MSCI World is an excellent starting point for building a balanced portfolio.

Q: What average returns do global equity ETFs generate? A: Historically, global equity indices like the MSCI World have generated average annual returns around 7-10% gross over the long term, including dividend reinvestment. However, the past does not guarantee future results and short-term volatility can be significant.

Q: Is it better to invest with an active fund or an ETF? A: Academic evidence shows that most actively managed funds fail to beat their benchmark over the long term, especially after costs. ETFs, thanks to their reduced costs and systematic index replication, represent an efficient choice for most savers. However, in specific, less efficient market niches, active management can still make sense.

Q: How can I start investing with small amounts? A: Many online investment platforms allow you to start a systematic investment plan (SIP) on ETFs with amounts starting from 25-50 euros per month. It's an accessible, disciplined and particularly effective strategy over the long term thanks to the dollar-cost averaging mechanism, which mitigates the impact of market volatility.

Conclusion

The Savings Salon 2026 confirmed itself to be much more than a trade fair: it's an ecosystem of ideas, discussion and education that offers anyone who wants to invest consciously the tools to do so better. The themes that emerged — from the unstoppable growth of ETFs to the need to plan returns over long horizons, through the importance of structured savings — are universal and immediately applicable.

If you haven't yet attended an event like this, consider doing so: even just following the available online conferences or reading the materials published after the event can make a difference in how you manage your savings. And if you're already invested in ETFs or considering it, use the coming weeks to review your portfolio in light of the practical advice that emerged from this edition. The best time to invest was yesterday; the second best is today.