Industry Overview - The global payments industry handled 3.4 trillion transactions in 2023, accounting for $1.8 quadrillion in value and generating $2.4 trillion in revenue [6] - Payments revenue grew 7% annually from 2018 to 2023, driven by transaction digitization and higher interest rates, but growth is expected to slow to 5% annually through 2028 [6] - Net interest income contributes 47% of total payments revenue, up 3 percentage points from 2021 [8] - Asia-Pacific accounts for nearly half of global payments revenue, with commercial revenues increasing from 60% to 62% of total payments revenue from 2018 to 2023 [11][12] Key Trends Shaping the Industry 1. **Decline of Cash**: Global cash usage is at 80% of 2019 levels and declining 4% annually, with $26 trillion still transacted in cash [16] - Instant payments are rapidly replacing cash in developing markets like India, Malaysia, and Indonesia [18] - In card-dominated markets like the US, cash transactions represent just 5% of consumer payment value [18] 2. **Rise of Instant Payments**: Instant payments are displacing other methods, with two types of markets emerging - card-entrenched (e.g., US, UK) and cash-heavy (e.g., Brazil, India) [19][20] - In the EU, instant payment transactions are expected to grow from 3 billion to 30 billion by 2028, a 50% annual growth rate [21] 3. **Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)**: DPI initiatives in markets like Brazil, Estonia, and India are catalyzing digital payments through digital ID systems and interoperability [22][23] - India's UPI has been successfully launched in 10 countries, including Singapore and the UAE [25] 4. **Platform Aggregation**: Commerce is aggregating onto platforms like Shopify and Amazon, which process 30% of global consumer purchases [26] - Vertical-specific software solutions captured over 50% of SME spending in the US in 2023 [27] 5. **Transaction Banking Evolution**: Transaction banking is becoming a differentiator for leading institutions, with banks like Citi and HSBC emphasizing these units [31] - Commercial customers are demanding intuitive interfaces and faster integration of bank and corporate systems [31] 6. **Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)**: Over 90% of central banks are pursuing CBDC projects, with more than 30 pilots launched [33] - CBDCs are expected to set the baseline for digital currency functionality and cost [33] Growth Opportunities - **Cross-Border Payments**: Initiatives like Project Nexus are connecting domestic instant-payment schemes across countries, with 23% of UK SMEs using nonbank providers for cross-border payments [36][38] - **Treasury Management**: The digitization of CFO offices is accelerating, with fintechs like Taulia and C2FO scaling their offerings [39] - **Payouts and Payroll**: Instant payments are enhancing gig economy worker satisfaction and customer loyalty through immediate compensation and refunds [42][43] Challenges and Investments - **Fraud Prevention**: Fraud in online commerce is rising twice as fast as transaction volume growth, with global losses from payment card fraud projected to reach $400 billion over the next decade [44][45] - **Infrastructure Modernization**: Payments players must invest in real-time infrastructure and technology to remain compliant and competitive, with instant payments requiring 24/7/365 availability and enhanced fraud prevention [48][49] - **Regulatory Pressure**: Regulators are intensifying demands for faster, more efficient payment processes while maintaining low costs and increasing consumer protections [51][54]

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly state an investment rating for the steel industry but emphasizes the growing importance of scrap steel as a critical resource in the transition to greener steel production methods. Core Insights - The steel industry is under pressure to decarbonize, with a focus on reducing CO2 emissions by transitioning from traditional blast furnaces to Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) and Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) [2][6][9] - The demand for steel is projected to rise, making the decarbonization of steel production essential for achieving sustainability goals [2][5] - The scarcity of clean scrap steel is expected to drive prices higher, highlighting the need for steelmakers to secure sufficient scrap supplies [3][24] Summary by Sections Industry Overview - Steel production accounts for approximately 7% of global CO2 emissions, necessitating urgent action to reduce its carbon footprint [4][6] - The European Union aims to cut CO2 emissions from steel production by nearly 25% by 2030, reflecting regulatory pressures on the industry [2][6] Technological Transition - The shift from blast furnaces to DRI and EAF technologies is crucial for reducing emissions, but it requires significant investments and a reliable supply of competitively priced green energy and scrap steel [3][10][12] - EAF technology is mature, while DRI technology is still developing, with no large-scale hydrogen-powered DRI facilities yet operational [14][15] Scrap Steel Market Dynamics - The report highlights the increasing global competition for scrap steel, particularly clean scrap, as demand grows due to the transition to EAFs [5][24] - In Europe, an estimated annual shortage of 9 million tons of scrap is projected by 2030, which will likely increase prices and competition for supplies [24][25] Investment and Economic Considerations - Meeting the EU's 2030 targets requires an estimated €85 billion in investments, with significant reliance on state subsidies to fund new green steel projects [15][16] - The cost of processing scrap steel is competitive compared to DRI processes, making it an economically viable option for steel production [22][24] Strategic Recommendations - Steel producers are encouraged to build ecosystems and circular economies to secure scrap supplies through partnerships and acquisitions [34][35] - Companies should explore global sourcing for cost-effective scrap, particularly from regions like Africa and Latin America, to meet growing demand [34][35]

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - The role of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) has evolved significantly, transitioning from an entrepreneurial role to a professional and integrated function within corporate governance, compliance, and accountability [7][8] - CSOs are currently at a crossroads, facing increased visibility and pressure while needing to balance compliance with innovation and strategic foresight [10][12] - The sustainability field has matured through phases of voluntary adoption, ambition, turbulence, and is now moving towards professionalization and regulatory integration [8][20] Summary by Sections Executive Summary - The report synthesizes findings from interviews with 31 CSOs across various regions, highlighting the evolving role of CSOs amidst rapid changes in the sustainability landscape [7] - It emphasizes the heightened expectations and pressures faced by CSOs, noting the current moment's dichotomy of increased visibility and potential overemphasis on compliance [7][8] Chapter 1: The Sustainability Field Has Matured After Periods of Rapid Growth and Turbulence - The sustainability field has transitioned from voluntary adoption to a more regulated environment, with CSOs facing multiple challenges including backlash against ESG initiatives and increased regulatory compliance [8][24] - The number of companies with dedicated CSOs has grown significantly, indicating a maturation of the role [22] Chapter 2: CSOs Are Finding Success in Increased Professionalization and Integration of Sustainability - Many CSOs report improvements in organizational structure, allowing sustainability to become a central corporate function rather than a peripheral one [9][34] - The number of sustainability reports citing the CEO as responsible for ESG strategy nearly doubled from 18% to 32% from 2023 to 2024, indicating a shift towards greater integration [34] Chapter 3: Now Is the Moment to Reassert an Ambitious Vision of the CSO - The report identifies three potential paths for CSOs: the Steady Manager, the Integrated Strategist, and the Transformative Change Agent, each with distinct roles and impacts on corporate strategy [10][55] - The Integrated Strategist incorporates sustainability into core business decisions, while the Transformative Change Agent seeks to reshape business models to address sustainability challenges [51][55] Closing Thoughts - The report emphasizes the urgency for CSOs to reclaim their role as visionary leaders in sustainability, advocating for innovative approaches to address pressing global challenges [58][60] - It calls for new business models and transformative partnerships to harness the private sector's potential for real progress in sustainability [60]

Industry Overview - The global banking industry generated $7 trillion in revenue and $1.1 trillion in net income in 2023, with a return on tangible equity (ROTE) of 11.7% [7] - The industry intermediated $410 trillion in assets globally in 2023 [8] - Banking remains the largest profit-generating sector globally, surpassing the combined net income of the energy and industrials industries at $1.15 trillion [10] - Despite strong performance, the industry faces skepticism with a price-to-book ratio of 0.9, the lowest among all sectors [12] Performance Drivers - Recent performance improvements are largely attributed to rising interest rates, with net interest margins (NIMs) increasing significantly [6][16] - Labor productivity growth in banking has been mixed, despite high tech spending, with US banks showing declining productivity [27][29] - Regulatory changes continue to require significant investment, adding to operational costs [6] - Competition from non-traditional players, such as private credit and fintech, is intensifying in profitable segments like payments and wealth management [6] Structural Challenges - The industry's profitability is uneven across geographies, with countries like the US, UK, and India showing improved performance, while others like Brazil and China face lower ROTEs [18] - Scale economies remain elusive in many markets, with tech spending not translating into proportional productivity gains [27][29] - The cost of funds is expected to rise due to quantitative tightening and increased competition for deposits [32] Winning Strategies - Top-performing banks focus on a combination of structural advantages (segment selection, scale, and geographic positioning) and operational execution (analytics, marketing, and tech) [6][36] - 14% of banks have achieved a price-to-book ratio above 1 and a price-to-earnings ratio above 13, indicating strong value creation [37][38] - Winners often operate in attractive markets with high margins and strong fundamentals, such as Australia, Canada, and India [41][42] - Execution excellence, including granular pricing, risk selection, and customer-centric strategies, drives outperformance [52][53] Future Outlook - If interest rates decline, NIMs could compress by 50-60 basis points, potentially reducing ROTE to near cost of capital levels [17] - Banks will need to reduce costs by 5% annually to maintain current ROTE levels, a significant challenge given historical cost reduction rates of 1% [31] - AI and advanced analytics offer potential for productivity gains, but widespread adoption and impact remain in early stages [27][57] Management as a Differentiator - 10% of banks have improved their ROTE by five or more deciles over the past decade, demonstrating the potential for breakout performance [58][59] - Management teams must focus on structural and executional leverage, including scale, portfolio mix, and operational efficiency, to drive value creation [62] - Successful banks often adopt a "management quotient" that emphasizes agility, talent optimization, and strategic focus to outperform peers [58][62]

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - The paper identifies key challenges in health care and long-term care as populations age, particularly in developing countries where rapid demographic transitions are occurring [6][14] - A holistic strategy is needed to strengthen health care and long-term care systems, focusing on universal care coverage and shifting from a disease-centered to a person-centered approach [15][16] - The importance of promoting healthy lifestyles throughout the life course is emphasized, as early health choices significantly impact aging [15][16] Summary by Sections Overview - Population aging increases the likelihood of disease, disability, and loss of functional autonomy, putting pressure on health care and long-term care systems [13][19] - Developing countries face unique challenges due to rapid demographic transitions and resource constraints, necessitating proactive government interventions [20][19] Main Trends in Longevity - Global average life expectancy at birth rose from 47.0 years in 1950 to 72.6 years in 2019, with projections indicating it will reach 77.1 years by 2050 [23][24] - The share of individuals aged 65 and older is expected to rise from 9% in 2019 to 16% by 2050, with significant increases in middle-income countries [26][23] Aging, Health, and the Challenges for Health Care Systems - Population aging leads to a rise in chronic diseases and multimorbidity, complicating health care delivery [41] - Health care systems must adapt to ensure coverage, access, and affordability while shifting towards a person-centered, holistic approach [41][42] - The prevalence of chronic diseases is projected to increase significantly, with 83% of global deaths expected to be caused by chronic diseases by 2060 [43][42] Increasing Risk of Functional Dependency and Challenges for Long-Term Care Systems - There is a rising need for long-term care services due to increasing functional dependency among older adults [17][18] - Long-term care services should be accessible, affordable, and person-centered, promoting home care options [17][18] - Integration between social care and health care sectors is crucial for efficient service delivery [18] Final Remarks and Key Policy Considerations - The report calls for increased coordination between health and social care sectors and emphasizes the need for capacity building among human resources in these fields [18] - Addressing distributional issues related to aging, such as gender gaps and socioeconomic inequalities, is essential for effective policy responses [39][40]

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - The report highlights that firms in sectors more amenable to remote work experienced a smaller adverse impact from the COVID-19 pandemic in countries with better digital infrastructure [2][13] - The benefits of remote work during the pandemic were more pronounced for exporters in the manufacturing sector compared to non-exporters, indicating a premium associated with exporting [2][13] - The positive effects of remote work flexibility enabled by digitalization do not diminish over time [2][13] Summary by Sections Introduction - The pandemic-induced economic crisis highlighted the importance of digital technologies for firms to mitigate economic losses [6] Data and Descriptive Statistics - The study utilized data from 68,007 firm-level observations across 61 countries, with a significant portion being micro and small firms [20] Empirical Strategy - The analysis focused on the interaction between remote work amenability and digital infrastructure to assess firm resilience during the pandemic [25] Results - Firms in sectors with higher remote work feasibility showed more resilient sales performance in countries with better digital infrastructure, with a statistically significant coefficient of 0.979 for the change in sales [31] - Exporters in sectors amenable to remote work experienced a smaller average sales decline compared to non-exporters, with a notable difference of 6%-7% [33] - The report indicates that the gap in sales decline between different sectors is more pronounced in countries with lower internet usage [35] Robustness Checks - The findings remained consistent when alternative measures for remote work and internet penetration were applied, confirming the robustness of the results [36] Heterogeneous Effects - The impact of digital connectivity and remote work on firm resilience varied across sectors, with significant effects observed in the manufacturing sector for both exporters and non-exporters [47]

Investment Rating - The report does not provide a specific investment rating for the industry Core Insights - The marriage penalty in South Asia significantly reduces women's labor force participation by 12 percentage points, while the marginal penalty of childbearing is relatively small, indicating that marriage itself imposes constraints on women's employment opportunities [3][15][61] - The findings suggest that social norms and opportunity costs play crucial roles in the marriage penalty, with educated women experiencing smaller penalties compared to those with lower education levels [19][63] Summary by Sections Introduction - The report discusses the persistent gender inequality in labor market outcomes, particularly focusing on the marriage penalty and its implications for women's labor force participation in South Asia [7][8] Data and Empirical Strategy - The analysis utilizes data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) across four South Asian countries, employing a pseudo-panel approach to separate marriage and child penalties [23][24][27] Results - The marriage penalty is quantified, revealing that it accounts for 75% of the combined family formation penalty, with the largest effects observed in India [15][41] - Men, in contrast, experience a marriage premium, with an average increase in employment of 12.8 percentage points post-marriage [41][45] Determinants of the Marriage Penalty - The report explores various factors influencing the marriage penalty, including urban versus rural residence, education levels, and gender attitudes [46][50] - Higher education for women significantly mitigates the marriage penalty, while the education of husbands also plays a role in shaping household norms [54][63] Conclusion - The report concludes that the marriage penalty is a significant barrier to female labor force participation in South Asia, driven by both social norms and opportunity costs, and emphasizes the importance of promoting gender equality and education to alleviate these penalties [61][64]

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry analyzed Core Insights - Financial deepening, defined as the increase in bank credit relative to GDP, generally leads to a relative increase in carbon dioxide emissions per dollar of GDP across a sample of 125 economies from 1990 to 2019 [2][13][14] - A one-standard-deviation increase in credit-to-GDP results in an increase in CO2 emissions per dollar of GDP by approximately 0.6 percentage points over a five-year horizon, indicating that financial deepening can diminish the decline in CO2 emissions [13][33] - The adverse effects of financial deepening on carbon emissions can be mitigated by stronger institutional environments, including robust environmental regulations and a more market-based financial system [14][40] Summary by Sections Introduction - The transition to a less carbon-intensive economy requires significant investments, with estimates suggesting that global investments in climate mitigation need to rise from $0.9 trillion in 2020 to $5 trillion annually by 2030 [6] - Financial institutions, particularly banks, play a crucial role in directing funds towards green technologies or traditional carbon-intensive investments [7] Data and Methodology - The study utilizes an unbalanced panel dataset of 125 advanced and emerging economies covering the years 1990 to 2019, focusing on CO2 emissions per dollar of GDP and financial deepening measured by credit-to-GDP [16][18] - The empirical methodology employs local projections to assess the impact of financial deepening on CO2 emissions, allowing for the examination of responses over a five-year horizon [26][27] Results - The findings indicate that financial deepening contributes to a persistent increase in CO2 emissions per dollar of GDP, with the most significant effects observed in the first year following an increase in credit-to-GDP [33] - Conditional results reveal that countries with stronger environmental regulations and a higher rule of law index experience less increase in CO2 emissions per dollar of GDP due to financial deepening [35][37] - The analysis shows that the impact of financial deepening varies based on the initial carbon intensity of production, with different institutional factors playing a role in mitigating emissions [41][42] Robustness Checks - Various robustness checks confirm the baseline findings, including the use of alternative measures of financial deepening and focusing on credit boom episodes, which show even more pronounced adverse effects on CO2 emissions [47][49][52]

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