Why it doesn’t make sense that economic theory has kept natural capital as an externality.

October 2019

October 2019

SoftBank and its roughly $100 billion Vision Fund face growing questions about their use of leverage and the size of stakes built in technology-related companies.

The fiasco of the failed IPO of WeWork has embroiled some of the most prominent figures in global finance, including SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son and JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dimon.

VTB has long lagged state-owned rival Sberbank in terms of profitability, but with sanctions limiting access to capital the pressure is on to close the gap – chairman Andrey Kostin explains why digital transformation and aggressive retail growth hold the key to success for Russia’s second-largest lender.

While transaction banking is one of the most innovative areas of finance, there is competition from big tech - and gaining market share is tough in a fragmented industry. How can banks stay on top?

Driven by changes in technology and many new entrants to the business, transaction banking is no longer a boring, old, but stable revenue earner, chugging along in the background. Instead, trade finance and cash management are becoming an exciting and critical area of banking.

The head of transaction banking at SEB says: 'Corporate clients ask us what we are doing to become a green bank.'

The global head of transaction banking at StanChart says: 'We will see better results if we work together.'

The bank's global head of liquidity and cash management says: 'We need to stay on top of emerging trends.'

The EMEA treasury director at CBRE says: 'Treasury can be truly transformed by introducing technology.'

The bank's head of treasury and trade solutions, EMEA, says: 'In transaction banking, we see exponential growth.'

The head of channels, analytics and innovation for treasury services and head of blockchain initiatives for corporate and investment banking at JPMorgan says: 'The boundaries between technological innovation and product development are blurring.'

The former treasurer at the Chinese multinational technology company says: 'Banks should be concerned.'

The bank's global head of core trade products says: 'Once you start digitizing trade finance, everything starts to move faster.'

The bank's group head, global transaction banking says: 'We want to open up the transaction banking landscape.'

The bank's managing director of commercialisation and propositions for global transaction banking says: 'Why shouldn’t banking be just as simple as booking a hotel or ordering a taxi?'

The Seychelles was the first country to issue a debt-for-nature swap to protect its marine environment; it was also the first to issue a blue bond, raising capital to finance sustainable marine and ocean-related projects. But can it overcome the teething problems and provide a model other island nations can follow?

Tiny Bhutan has a claim to fame as the first and only country that can claim to be not only carbon neutral but dramatically carbon negative. Conservation is wrapped in with the national ideal of ‘gross national happiness’, a pillar of the country’s constitution and fundamental to national planning.

The Latin American nation has gone all-out to rebuild its natural environment over the last three decades, with great results – now it needs the rest of the world to pay attention.

Using a model of up-front financing for large one-off projects, project finance for permanence may be the mechanism that can help reach the goal of 50% of the planet’s natural areas being protected in perpetuity.

Deforestation – and the cattle farming that largely drives it – has caught the world’s attention. While some environmentalists suggest punitive measures to make Brazil a better steward of the forest, there are already more constructive, private-sector responses to the challenge. Can they scale quickly enough to save the Amazon?

The rhino impact bond has sparked excitement that financial tools can play a role in helping Africa conserve its wildlife. As the continent’s population level is set to rise quickly, Euromoney looks at the work being done to connect conservation with economic growth.

Carbon markets, particularly offsets, are shaking off their past and becoming a vital instrument for reaching CO2 reduction goals, protecting and conserving biodiversity at scale, as well as meeting many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They need to succeed.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean up water supplies, prevent the loss of biodiversity, mitigate fire and flood risk and meet the nutritional requirements of a growing population the world must improve its regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices – new tools and support from the financial services industry are needed to fund that transition.

Advocating ESG while investing in one of the world’s largest oil companies is an uneasy truth.

It was just what the regulators didn’t want: another surge in Sofr just as the timetable for transition away from US dollar Libor enters its critical phase.

The race is on: not Formula 1 but environmental challenges.

Deutsche Bank has taken the radical step of getting rid of its equities business, but thinks it can still offer ECM. Can it?