How sustainability also wins in Covid-19 fintech boom. From the booming challenger bank market to fast-spreading mobile payment technologies, crypto-assets, crowdfunding platforms, and online marketplaces: digital disruption in finance could have a similarly “transformative impact” in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals.

Commodity trading is going through turbulent times. Keystone / Marcos Moreno

Swiss banks are turning their backs on commodity trading. Several major banks have announced in quick succession the closure or reduction of their commodity trade finance departments following a series of bankruptcies and frauds in Asia and the Middle East. These "restructurings" are shaking up the Geneva financial centre where there are fears of withdrawal and of a "domino effect" on an activity which represents 10% of the local GDP.

Better climate data can help the municipal market. Climate risks pose a potential threat to the creditworthiness of many debt issuers – particularly in the $3.8 trillion US municipal bond market. Scenario analysis based on standardized climate models can help to clarify the impact of global warming on credit risks and investors’ confidence.

Keystone / AP Photo / Vincent Thian

A worker inspects disposable gloves at the Top Glove factory in Shah Alam on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. Top Glove, a Malaysian-based company, is one of the world's largest rubber glove manufacturer.

1 September (4:00 pm) | Online: Biodiversity, what are the pathways for priority sectors? During this webinar, the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) will reveal findings from a report on Investor Action on Biodiversity, and the World Economic Forum will provide insight into research on The Future of Nature and Business. It is the second in a series of webinars on biodiversity organized jointly with the UNEP FI in the run-up to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties (COP15) in 2021.

2-3 September | Montreux: Swiss Economic Forum (SEF) Leading players from business, academia, media and politics will explore what lasting marks the pandemic will leave on the Swiss economy, politics and society and methods for overcoming the crisis. The eclectic mix of speakers includes Federal Council vice-president Guy Parmelin, British adventurer Bear Grylls, and American diplomat Susan Rice.

7-18 September | Online: D-DebtCon 2020. Sovereign debt sustainability, debt vulnerabilities, fiscal federalism, and resilience against pandemic and climate shocks: these are among the topics being discussed at this year’s Distributed Interdisciplinary Sovereign Debt Research and Management Conference (D-DebtCon 2020), organized in collaboration with the Graduate Institute Geneva and the Institute of Economic Law.