Cryptocurrencies, sustainability and financial inclusion have been hot topics in the banking industry over the past year, along with regulatory changes and the industry’s continued digital transformation.
As this is the publisher’s last blog post of 2021, I’ve taken a clear path by looking back at last year’s posts that sparked the interest of the global banking community. The three main themes that have dominated much of our reports are: cryptocurrencies / blockchain; sustainability and ESG; and financial inclusion.
Here’s an assortment of how we’ve covered these and other topics over the past year:
- DeFi: the new era of finance – Decentralized finance will completely shake up, and potentially even replace, the existing banking system.
- Are the banks ready for their green stress tests? – As the ECB and Bank of England launch their first ecological stress tests, lack of data, poor disclosure and inadequate governance can hamper meaningful results.
- Enabling banking for all – Any form of disability could potentially constitute a barrier to accessing financial services, if the right guidelines, procedures and technologies are not in place.
- Behind efforts to make banking services more inclusive in the MENA region – The Middle East and North Africa have one of the lowest accesses to financial services in the world, but work is underway to modernize the sector throughout the region.
- China’s shadow banking sector spotlighted – Beijing is looking to reduce the scope of risky shadow banking, but the sector is vital to the country’s economy. How can regulators act without destabilizing a key source of funding?
- Is Evergrande the New Lehman Brothers? – Many wonder if the world is facing a repeat of the global financial crisis of 2007-2009, as Chinese company Evergrande is on the brink of collapse. The answer is probably no, but the implications for the Chinese economy are profound.
- Private Capital Markets Maturing – With investors increasingly struggling to generate substantial returns in public markets and a growing number of private fundraising needs, all the ingredients are in place for continued market growth. private capital.
- Will the world return to “normal” in 2022? – What ‘normal’ will look like after the pandemic is not easy to predict, as inflation, rising interest rates and the gradual reduction of quantitative easing lead to greater uncertainty for the year future.
Unsurprisingly, the publisher’s most popular blogs in 2021 also cover similar themes:
After six years, we’re wrapping up our Tech Talk video series, which aimed to highlight the seismic change emerging fintech is bringing to the industry. Some of them have achieved “unicorn” status (valued at $ 1 billion more), such as Plaid, Klarna and Wise (formerly TransferWise), while others have been acquired by banks and other players. established. Most are still trying to improve financial services. Watch over 200 tech talks here.
Here are five of the most popular Tech Talks from the past year:
Instead of the Tech Talk series, that of the banker publishers will be launching different podcast series – so watch this space in the New Year.
Thank you to all of our loyal subscribers and readers who have enjoyed our content throughout 2021. Overall Banker team, we wish you the best of success in 2022.
Joy Macknight is editor of The banker. Follow her on twitter @joymacknight
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