Is it time to unbundle ESG?

“ESG should be boiled down to one simple measure: emissions”; so writes The Economist in a Leader in its June 21st edition.

One of the hottest trends in finance these days is environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.

This is an attempt to make capitalism work better and deal with the critical threat posed by climate change.

ESG investing has mushroomed in recent years. While the ESG process began with such high hopes in 2004 or thereabouts, the three letters have mutated into shorthand for hype and controversy.

• Right-wing American politicians blame a “climate cartel” for spiraling prices at pump.
• Whistleblowers accuse the industry of “greenwashing” by deceiving its clients.
• Firms from Goldman Sachs to Deutsche Bank face regulatory probes.

While ESG in concept is well meaning it is deeply flawed. The danger is in creating conflicting goals for firms, conning savers and distracting from the now critical vital task of tackling climate change.

The Economist maintains that ESG is “..an unholy mess that needs to be ruthlessly streamlined.”

Read the full story HERE.

Read the latest Edition (#130) of the Citadel Advantage News Digest

NEWS about Banking, Fintech, Payments, Business, Blockchain, Crypto, Money and more…

Read the newsletter HERE

In this edition;

• After $2 trillion crypto crash, what happens next?
• Are big corporate profits to blame for inflation?
• Massive Wall Street layoffs feared as banking profits tank
• Top 100 Banks on Twitter Ranked by Most Followers
• Should You Buy The Dip in Crypto Crash?
• Inside the Digital Marketing Strategies of Top Neobanks Revolut & Monzo
• DeFi in the Metaverse: Possibilities, Pitfalls, and Promises
• 62 Digital Marketing Statistics Every Financial Marketer Should Know
• Phishing 101: A Beginner's Guide on Phishing Attacks
• Embedded finance: a double-edged sword for traditional financial institutions
• The 6 Pillars of Digital Marketing for Banks & Credit Unions
• 4 Reasons for Cyber Intelligence Failure
• Data Science and AI Predictions for 2022
• Digital Transformation in Lending Keys to Success
• The New Community Bank Model: Digital-First With a National Footprint
• Crypto crash, crypto investing and your taxes: A look at impact on investors’ taxes
• How Big Banks' Tech Advantage Hinders Innovation and Hurts Competition
• How Financial Institutions Can Stop Chasing Their Digital Tails
• 12 Must-Have Mobile Banking Features Consumers Expect Now

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Are big corporate profits to blame for inflation?

Greedflation! Price gouging! Pandemic profiteering! 

What happens when turning a profit is considered a bad thing? The FT’s US business editor Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson explains how a new message around corporate profits is resonating with the American public and causing headaches for executives.

Hear the FT podcast HERE

The Ukraine War’s Impact on Its Tech Sector

Ukraine’s tech sector was growing rapidly before Russia invaded earlier this year. How has Russia’s invasion changed the outlook? Two tech CEOs with Ukrainian workforces join host Zoe Thomas to discuss how they are coping and what they think the future of the sector could be after the fighting ends.

Read the latest Edition (#129) of the Citadel Advantage News Digest

NEWS about Banking, Fintech, Payments, Business, Blockchain, Crypto, Money and more…

Read the newsletter HERE

In this edition;

• With or without Elon Musk, Twitter is overdue a shake-up
• Crypto market crash: Layoffs, bankruptcies and frozen accounts
• What to do now about tomorrow’s code-cracking computers
• Credit Suisse: what next for the crisis-hit bank?
• Battle for Credit Cards Waged With Innovation and Sheer Marketing Muscle
• How Can Password-Free Identity Verification Safeguard User Privacy?
• Major Card-Issuing Bank Takes on Fintechs with Its Own BNPL Plan
• The real value in relationship-focused pricing decisions
• 5 Ways Community Banks & Credit Unions Can Compete in Credit Cards
• Visualized: How Bonds Help Reduce Bear Market Risk
• The Gap Between Products Banks Offer & What Consumers Really Need
• WaaS for Finance: How Banks and Retailers Can Leverage Wallet-as-a-Service?
• Banks Struggle to Provide Personalized Engagement: Here's Why

You can read/subscribe to the newsletter HERE

After $2 trillion crypto crash, what happens next?

Digital currencies have now lost $2 trillion in value after hitting a peak of $3 trillion in November 2021. There are also signs that many crypto firms have exposed themselves to riskier financial bets than previously known. Andrew Chang, a crypto consultant and former COO of Paxos, a New York-based financial institution and technology company, joins Geoff Bennett to discuss.

Credit Suisse: what next for the crisis-hit bank?

The Credit Suisse story is about how finance went wrong at one of Switzerland's most important institutions and one of the most important banks in Europe. It's a tale of high-profile scandals, from corporate espionage to cocaine smugglers and oligarchs. But what does the future hold for the venerable institution? Credit Suisse's new chairman, Financial Times reporters and banking industry experts explain it all.