Economic woes test banks' balance sheets and strategies

Never-ending battle to combat fraud and money laundering continues

Like so many hyped events, the first day of liberalised trading on the Tadawul, Saudi Arabia’s Stock Exchange, was a little bit underwhelming. Many commentators expected foreign investors to be queuing up at the door, waiting for entry into a room full of blue chip shares from previously inaccessible multi-billion-dollar market-cap companies.

On June 5 Norway’s parliament approved a proposal that will see its gargantuan US$900bn Government Pension Fund Global divest stakes in mining companies that derive more than 30% of their revenues from coal and power companies that are more than 30% reliant on coal for generation.

Banks and asset managers are rushing-in to adopt environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk when making investment decisions. They are starting to provide their clients with direct assess to professional advisors who specialise in this area as well.

Being a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) has become a badge of honour for many pension funds and asset managers.

Massive losses for the Swiss National Bank, what lessons learned for others?