Finance
Transition finance, sustainability and AI
In recent years, major European banks have developed a list of sectors populated by companies with high CO2 emissions. The concept of "transition finance" is primarily about working with these companies to identify and achieve shared decarbonization goals, typically by 2030. However, as we know, in economics "everything is interconnected," so the list may not be exhaustive or entirely stable, requiring updates based on new information. Which sectors are most scrutinized, and which should be closely monitored? What should companies do to align more closely with stakeholders' expectations ...
AI and the Future of Work in Finance
In the 1991 movie Judgment Day, Terminator says, “My CPU is a neural-net processor; a learning computer. The more contact I have with humans, the more I learn.” The effects of the nuclear war started by machines to exterminate humanity in the film have left a profound impact on how many people think about the use of artificial intelligence. For decades, concerns about the growing power of machines were limited to a few, but the exponential increase in the learning capabilities of new systems, particularly those that are part of generative AI, has begun to stir anxiety among academics and managers. ...
Green Houses: the Economic and Environmental Impact of Sustainable Living
Attention to the environment and sustainability has become a central theme in our daily lives, influencing various sectors, including construction. Green houses exemplify a classic "Tragedy of the Commons" problem, requiring public intervention to reduce negative externalities, primarily attributed to CO2 emissions. The issue stems from the poor quality of housing stock, built and maintained for decades without renovation, leading to associated energy inefficiency. Green house legislation directly intervenes by prescribing physical objectives, presenting itself as an alternative to taxation or ...
CFO and AI: an Evolution Starting from Afar
The Financial Times recently argued that the role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is changing as a result of the increasing introduction of Artificial Intelligence in the enterprise, which enables the availability of analytical and predictive tools. It is hard to disagree: academic research supports with econometric models that the use of predictive analytics enables a productivity improvement amounting to about 3 percent of revenues for companies in the United States. But can we really say that the role of the CFO is suddenly changing because of algorithmic innovations? We believe not. ...