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Banking Environment Featured Finance World

Bank climate commitments and green lending in emerging markets

The low-carbon transition requires substantial financial mobilisation, yet it is unclear whether banks’ public climate commitments represent real change or simply greenwashing. This column uses unique survey data from 335 banks across 33 emerging markets to examine their internal green practices and lending approaches. The authors find that climate-committed banks score substantially higher on green […]

Featured Finance News trade World

Dollar dominance and the Trump administration

There is general agreement that a currency’s safe-haven status can be gauged by its response to changes in financial volatility. This column documents how, in the months following the Trump administration’s “Liberation Day” announcement, the dollar switched from rising during periods of market volatility to falling, and thus appeared to switch from a safe-haven to […]

Finance Banking Featured News World

Stock market participation and financial education in the digital age

Stock market participation remains low, especially among the older, less affluent, and less educated households, despite its clear benefits for wealth preservation and growth. Although digitisation has reduced some barriers, many households remain disengaged. Using data from a Chinese investment platform, this column shows that digital nudges and financial education via the platform increase stock […]

Finance Banking Featured News World

The economic impact of European capital market integration

Economic growth in Europe continues to lag behind that of the US, largely due to smaller productivity gains. This column uses a general equilibrium model to show that a more integrated capital market in Europe could strengthen investment by reducing the cost of capital (price effect) and encouraging the entry of investors more inclined to […]

Business Banking Economy Finance

Gold uptrend intact, but due for correction before topping $4,000 in 2026

Spot gold was trading around $3,680 per ounce on Tuesday after hitting a record $3,689.27 earlier in the session. Gold’s stellar rally to successive record highs shows every sign of continuing for the rest of the year, but a healthy correction is on the cards before breaching the $4,000 per ounce milestone in 2026, traders […]

Economy Featured Finance News World

A Three-Pronged Strategy Can Help Developing Economies Attract FDI and Unlock its Full Potential

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a critical role in the world economy. Global FDI flows averaged almost $2 trillion per year during the past decade, up to one-half of which have been directed to emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) in recent years (figure 1.A). FDI inflows are an important source of private capital, especially for […]

Economy Banking Featured Finance World

Plugging Europe’s investment gap: understanding the potential of leveraging institutional investors

Expanding funded pensions via auto-enrolment could boost long-term investment and saver security, allowing the EU to address its investment gap. The European Union faces a significant investment gap. Meanwhile, an ageing population is putting pressure on the EU’s predominantly unfunded pension systems. Insurance companies and pension funds sit at the intersection of these challenges: as […]

Economy Banking Featured Finance World

How to update the EU Merger Guidelines

There is a growing push from certain quarters for the European Commission to weaken merger control in order to spur greater investment and innovation, higher productivity and growth, or the creation of European champions. This column argues that there are empirical and theoretical grounds to strengthen, rather than weaken, merger control, and offers suggestions to […]