yBC’s hard working editorial team is pleased to announce a new ReThink series, due to launch later in 2022. ReThink : Investing will focus, as the name suggests, on the world of investment – with a particular focus on whether, and how, investment can be a force for good at the same time as providing healthy returns.
Far from “getting back to normal” after the initial Covid-19 shock in 2020, the year 2022 has proven to be as disrupted and unpredictable as ever: covid variants, successive lockdowns in some parts of the world, advances in tech, social trends, market dynamics including inflation and supply chain issues and more. All of these factors fundamentally change the way markets work, and therefore have an impact on the world of financial services.
On top of this, there has been significant focus on the environment, social and economic equality and the impacts of human activity. There is palpable concern about climate change, as we are seeing the impacts hitting right around the world. This thinking has now permeated to the heart of the investment community, where terms like “ESG”, “net zero”, “impact investing” and “responsible investing” have become mainstream.
This raises a very important question, which could well be the biggest opportunity the industry has faced in decades: can the investment community, which has previously focussed largely on the quantum and reliability of returns for investors, now truly factor in real and effective ESG considerations? Taking this a step further, is it even possible that the investment community, with billions of dollars of assets under management, can be a force for positive change – a driver of the change the world needs to see?
Watch this space for more news about ReThink: Investing in the coming months.