Archive for February 2021
Will automobile firms drive the shift to ‘green steel’?
The decarbonisation of the steel industry, though essential to global carbon emissions reduction, has proved elusive. However, recently, development has accelerated with ArcelorMittal Europe completing the first sale of green steel, which is steel produced with no carbon emissions, in late 2020. This indicates the start of a widely anticipated shift towards decarbonisation for an…
Read MoreOakNorth’s Digital Banking Successes
OakNorth Bank Inc. is a digital bank that primarily lends to small and medium-sized companies, offering them financing solutions that are typically limited to larger firms who can access corporate banking services at traditional banks. In addition to loans and digital deposit products, OakNorth offers a forward-looking, cloud-based credit assessment platform that combines AI with…
Read MoreCoupang’s Upcoming IPO
On February 12th, South Korea’s largest e-commerce company, Coupang, filed for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The Wall Street Journal has said that this could occur as early as March this year. Coupang’s IPO is likely to be the largest one by a foreign company in the United…
Read MoreBitcoin burns through more electricity than the entire of the Netherlands and UAE
Bitcoin uses more electricity per annum than the Netherlands, UAE, and over double the consumption of Singapore. From data published this month by Cambridge University researchers, Bitcoin consumes around 120.37 GWh per year, which is equivalent to roughly 0.5% of the world’s energy consumption. Bitcoin’s consumption of electricity places it as the 32nd largest energy…
Read MoreBig Tech firms compete for supremacy in clean energy investments
According to a recently published report by Lancaster University, the IT sector is directly responsible for between 1.8 and 2.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The report adds that because of supply chains, the majority of published estimates underestimate the carbon footprint of the sector by as much as 25%. For Big Tech firms such…
Read MoreAmsterdam Overtakes London: Is this the End of the UK’s Financial Dominance in Europe?
On 1st April 1602, the Dutch East India Company issued shares in a street-level room just off Dam Square in Amsterdam, creating the first stock market in the world in Amsterdam and marking an important milestone in the history of capitalism. Over 400 years later, on the 11th February 2021, Amsterdam regained a role as…
Read MoreThe Role of Index Providers in Financial Markets
Over the last decade, index providers have been facing increased scrutiny into their operations as concern has been growing over the power they hold over markets. Whilst regulated in Europe since 2018, the situation differs in the US. Technically classed as data publishers, index providers face little scrutiny from financial regulators, leading some to question…
Read MoreJapan and Australia are primed to lead the global hydrogen agenda
International and strategic cooperation between Australia and Japan has been commonplace for the last couple of decades; complementary R&D propensities alongside shared priorities within the technology sector are just a few factors that have resulted in the formation of this strategic alliance. With global warming a rising issue that is becoming a key vocal point…
Read MoreCould Flying Taxis Be the Future?
London drivers waste around 9 days sitting in traffic every year whilst commuters in Los Angeles or Sydney, each stuck for 7 days, are not far behind. It is clear that the infrastructure of major cities is reaching breaking point, but some firms claim to have the answer to the problem, utilising Special Purpose Acquisition…
Read MoreSPACs: What are they and why could they be crucial to the electric vehicle revolution?
US electric bus maker Proterra was the latest electric vehicle company to go public, announcing a deal worth 1.6 billion USD in the middle of January. However, the firm will not be listed on the Nasdaq exchange as a result of an initial public offering (IPO). Instead, Proterra opted for a faster route and merged…
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