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Quiet, Unassuming, Modest — and One of the World’s Most Powerful Women

Wealthy philanthropist and CEO of Fidelity Investments Abigail Johnson came up through the ranks of the family business ‘the old way’ By TONY LENNOX Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest women, Abigail Johnson cuts an unobtrusive figure on the

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KBC Asset Management with CEO Johan Lema: ‘Everyone Invested’ Strategy Has Taken Belgian Firm to Prominence

Banking and insurance group KBC has a big, sprawling family: 41,000 employees and 12 million clients spread across Belgium, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The man at the helm is chief executive Johan Lema, who has years of experience in

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‘ESG Principles Inform Everything We Do,’ says Founder of AUM Asset Management Ltd. Jean-François de Clermont-Tonnerre

As a results-driven investment manager that seeks consistent growth of clients’ wealth over time, AUM Asset Management Ltd. (“AUM”) defies the traditional profile of high-performing firms with its commitment to positively impacting the planet and society, while also delivering strong

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IBM on Banks’ Reinvention Imperative: Don’t Leave Money On the Table!

The ability to change and digitally adapt has been a defining feature of business during the pan-demic. According to IBM, the Institute for Business Value (IBV), almost 60% of business lead-ers said they had already begun dramatically accelerating their companies’

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KPMG Lower Gulf: Banking on ESG Risks in Future

ESG risks have the potential of negatively impacting banks’ assets, earning capacity, and sometimes their reputation, argues Abbas Basrai. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and the emerging risks associated with them are becoming increasingly relevant to organizations, especially banks.

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IFC’s Blended Finance Department: Blending Public and Private Finance to Invest in Challenging Markets

What can be done to encourage more private investment in developing countries, especially the poorest and most fragile? This question lies at the heart of the development challenge today. Governments and development institutions alike recognise that the private sector is

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John Häfelfinger, CEO of Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (BLKB): Finding Strength and Promise by Planning for the Long Term

John Häfelfinger, CEO of Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (BLKB), talks to CFI.co about the opportunities afforded by sustainable finance. BLKB positions itself as a future-orientated bank and was ranked Best Bank in Switzerland by Forbes in 2019, and Best Regional Sustainability Bank

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Asian Development Bank: What Emerging Markets Can Teach Us About CSR

Fifty years after Milton Friedman’s famous essay arguing that companies should focus solely on shareholder profits, emerging markets businesses are helping lead the fight against Covid-19. Their example adds nuance to Friedman’s argument, reminding us that companies can effectively pursue

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Lord Waverley on Development Banks – By Name and By Nature: A Boon in Troubled Times

Development Finance Institutions (DFI), Development Finance Companies (DFC) or Development Banks (DB) are institutions that provide finance for development projects predominantly in weaker or developing economies. Development banks provide medium- to long-term risk capital and technical assistance to developing economies

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Ana Palacio: Europe on a Geopolitical Fault Line

Two months ago, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his fear that a “Great Fracture” could split the international order into two “separate and competing worlds,” one dominated by the United States

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