In 2017 Russia enjoyed a refreshing return to economic growth and general optimism—until November, when a GDP contraction took analysts by surprise. The question is, was the setback a minor bump in the road on the nation’s path to sustained recovery, or was it a signal that Russia has fallen back into recession after a good but temporary run?
Banking across the globe has been going through a major transformation over the last few years, and this evolution looks set to continue well into 2018, and indeed beyond.
Let’s start with the basics, The Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) was officially published by the European Commission in December 2015 and follows on from the First Payment Services Directive (PSD1), which was implemented in 2009.
Millions of people work, shop and play online every day, leaving behind volumes of data that can include sensitive information. A study by IDC estimates that by 2020 there will be 5,200GB of data for every consumer on earth. In total, that works out at 40 zettabytes, or 57 times more than every grain of sand on every beach.
At the end of July, JPMorgan Chase revealed its plans to facilitate $200 billion in clean-energy financing through 2025. The announcement follows on from similar promises made back in 2015
The traditional business model of investment banks is facing challenges on several fronts simultaneously. Trading commissions are falling as digitally aware customers seek ever lower rates, while the proliferation of electronic platforms has led to low-commission, discount-brokerage models rapidly gaining market share.
Brent crude prices have seen a consistent decline from well over $100 per barrel in 2014 to less than $30 from the beginning of 2016. Based on oil prices that had been rising for more than a decade prior to 2015, energy companies made massive investments in drilling and exploration.
Banks today need more than lucky breaks to thwart the increasingly persistent and clever efforts of cybercriminals. The risk-management function of every bank today is facing a growing myriad of ever-intensifying threats, from hackers to terrorists, but fortunately there is ammunition at their disposal.