Investors want digital financial reporting to be audited City Talk Much has been written and discussed about the merits of digital financial reporting. Some concerns still need to be addressed, however, such as reviewing or validating these reports using eXtensible business reporting language (XBRL), a markup language for the electronic transmission of business and financial data, against a set of standards. Currently, no established standards [...]
Innovating in zeros: How do disruptive businesses best the competition? City Talk “No one really thought it was going to work but, actually, it went okay.” That is how Jonas Kjellberg, entrepreneur and investor, described the sentiment around one of his most famous ventures — Skype. Kjellberg has always been interested in disrupting traditional systems, and he recalled some of his business successes and failures at [...]
Why is Pakistan struggling to find its feet as a successful emerging market? City Talk The key dilemmas facing Pakistan’s equity market — a small investor base, few new listings on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), and shrinking turnover — are tied to the lack of trust among investors and issuers as well as unnecessary compliance and tax burdens. It will take greater professionalism among the intermediaries and the rationalization [...]
How to distinguish between a good financial adviser and a bad one December 13, 2017 Based on the number of notes I’ve written in the margins, the quantity of words I’ve underlined, and how often I pull it from the shelf, The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz has my vote for the best business book. It contains an invaluable essay — 'Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager' [...]
Could fintech be opening the door to more financial crime? December 8, 2017 Fintech startups aim to disrupt current practices and to do it fast. The emerging business model requires product managers find a buyer need, put out a minimum viable product, and iterate change in response to customer use. However, all this innovation—especially with entrepreneurs who have more tech savvy than experience in financial services—opens opportunities [...]
How can job candidates position themselves in a complex financial market? December 4, 2017 Given a more complex market and the changing demands of employers, job candidates face a significant challenge in presenting their skills and credentials in a way that will be persuasive for hiring firms. Today, it is not enough to have mastery of one subject area, such as accounting, finance, business, or technology. Employers are [...]
How to have productive conflicts and manage stress at work November 23, 2017 Are you feeling overwhelmed, and reacting out of emotion instead of logic? Taking just one minute can get you out of the cycle of unproductive thoughts. Grab hold of something, whether it’s your coffee mug, a pen, or whatever you have nearby. Close your eyes and focus on what the object feels like. Move it [...]
The jobs, they are a changin’: What’s happening to the finance industry? November 10, 2017 No matter where your career stands, you can always count on one thing—the investment industry is constantly changing. Worldwide trends are converging to transform the prospects for investment professionals. Consolidation among firms is leading to cuts. Fintech is disrupting the industry. The global talent market is evolving in different ways from region to region. Experts [...]
How to understand the palm oil industry’s inner workings by using big data November 8, 2017 By Dr. Kalev Hannes Leetaru and Gabriel Thoumi Palm oil is an inexpensive and highly versatile vegetable oil derived from the fruit of the oil palm tree. It can be found in half of all consumer goods in Western grocery stores, from chocolate, ice cream, and baked goods to soaps, lotions, and detergents. Not [...]
How much do finance professionals around the world care about ESG? October 30, 2017 Matt Orsagh, CFA, CIPM, is a director of capital markets policy at CFA Institute, where he focuses on corporate governance issues. A recent survey by CFA Institute of more than 1,500 portfolio managers and research analysts has found interest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics is maturing, though not consistently across the globe’s financial [...]
