Finance

Saudi Arabia is virtually synonymous with oil and gas, but this energy-producing heavyweight has reset its sights on achieving the title of the world’s largest supplier of cleaner hydrogen. With demand for hydrogen set to soar in the coming years as the world turns to greener energy sources, the Kingdom’s ambitious plans may well pay off.

A year has passed since the UK’s exit from the EU was finalized, so how is it going? If you ask public opinion, not as well as hoped. It is difficult to separate the pandemic’s adverse effects from Brexit’s to arrive at a true picture, but there is no denying that the UK-EU trade relationship is suffering and, along with it, the UK’s GDP.

Banks are on board with incorporating strategies to limit their negative environmental impacts, fulfilling the E of ESG. In tandem, they can also work toward achieving S and G by simultaneously prioritising anti-corruption and integrity goals. In this way, achieving all three prongs of ESG together will ensure a much better, safer future.

Although economic abuse is not a new problem, the pandemic, by causing a decisive shift to digital solutions, has exacerbated the risks of it occurring by reducing direct human contact between bank and customer. How can banks recognize their customers who are victimized by financial abuse, and what can they do to combat this exploitation?

As sustainability issues take center stage, investors and developers are considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in infrastructure. To meet the acute infrastructure needs of emerging countries, investments will need to be better targeted to meet ESG goals with new incentive structures and innovations in the financing and valuations of infrastructure assets.

One thread that ties low-income developing countries together is public borrowing, especially during times of crisis. Yet many LIDCs fall short in public-debt transparency, hampering government and creditor decision-making and citizen action. Sustainable lending and borrowing practices are key, but what is the best way to implement them?

Construction in the United States across nearly all project types looks set for a strong run in 2022, but the pace may be hampered by factors such as rising labor and supply-chain constraints and raw materials’ prices. Contractors are greeting the new year with positive outlooks about opportunities but reservations about successful executions.

Algeria in North Africa is leading its African neighbours in not only recovering from the pandemic but overcoming long-entrenched dependencies on oil and gas exports to Europe and Asia. It is spearheading an initiative toward diversifying Africa’s economies while growing intra-continental trade that will be pivotal to the region’s growth.

One of the lasting effects of the pandemic will be the compelling shifts it caused in work models and employer/employee relations. With employees heading for the exit sign in record numbers, employers must abandon old assumptions and redefine company cultures to incorporate the values crucial to employees, allowing them to drive success.

Last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the “first barrage” of UK-led sanctions against Russian economic interests following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Johnson and his allies have delivered further, more severe sanctions since, as a result of Russia’s military actions.