The Future of Financial Centres

whitePaper | May 6, 2022

Globalization and digitization were transforming the way we work even before the global COVID-19 pandemic, but going forward, flexible hybrid workspaces will be the norm. With that comes the expectation of equity and inclusiveness for employees, and more personalized, meaningful experiences for customers.

whitePaper | March 15, 2022

The speeds at which today’s AI technology is advancing is far beyond what many have expected. The role of human decision-making is being eclipsed by computer and machine learning in almost every industry. We see it in autonomous cars and trucks as well as in actual robots pre-programmed to take on tasks once thought to be reserved for humans alone. Ralph Haupter, President of Microsoft Asia and Corporate Vice President, Microsoft stated the following: “I believe 2018 is the year that this will start to become mainstream, to begin to impact many aspects of our lives in a truly ubiquitous and meaningful way” There is no uncertainty in the fact that AI is progressing at the speed of light. It is yet to be seen how this will impact industry on a global industrial level but the applications to payments have not been insignificant in the past several years. This paper seeks to explore the intricacies of this technology, its evolution, and the potential impact of AI in payments in 2018 and beyond.

whitePaper | December 7, 2022

Financial inclusion can be characterised as a means to an end. By ensuring access for households and small and medium enterprises to safe, essential financial services, financial inclusion is a key facilitator of inclusive economic growth. Not only does financial inclusion promote regional economic objectives, it is also considered as an enabler for 7 of the 17 sustainable development goals defined by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

whitePaper | May 17, 2022

COVID-19 has highlighted the urgent need for collective action to augment the existing global health security financing system and mobilize additional resources for increased investments in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR). Avoiding future pandemics requires investing substantially more in PPR; these investments will help avert the much larger costs that the world would have to incur if we were to be caught unprepared for the next global health crisis. Countries must step up domestic investments in the core capacities needed to prevent and contain future pandemics, in accordance with the International Health Regulations. This must be complemented by enhanced external financing, particularly for developing countries. The joint World Bank-WHO paper on PPR financing needs and gaps1 prpeared for the G20 Joint Finance and Health Task Force (JFHTF) estimated that external financing amounting to an additional $10.5 billion per year, over the next five years, is needed for investments at the country, regional and global level to strengthen the capacity of low-income and middle-income countries. PPR is a global public good. Mobilizing the needed external financing to strengthen PPR in lowand middle-income countries and regions, that are the most fiscally stretched and in need of financial support, is the collective responsibility of the international community.

whitePaper | May 23, 2022

The need to accelerate the journey to financial operations excellence has seen the emergence of packaged, purpose-built Financial Operations Management solutions to elevate persistently manual processes that are ripe for transformation. They typically include workflows and automation, intelligence, analytics, and collaboration. These are all proven to deliver predictable returns, from speeding up the close, to reducing DSO, to streamlining netting and settlement processes. A purpose-built approach accelerates delivery and reduces delivery risk while realizing predictable returns on investment.

whitePaper | December 18, 2019

The financial services industry is in upheaval and while there is a lot of recent talk about rising complexity and disruption, this transformation has actually been almost twenty years in the making. Since the year 2000, banks have faced stricter and more regulations, driving up the cost of compliance. Investment in new fintech players has grown steadily in the last decade.