Although the 20th century is now a distant memory, it undoubtedly spawned a more socially aware generation, intent on rewriting the rules by calling time on long-established traditions and ‘old world’ approaches to macro-economic and environmental issues. Many people, including Time magazine’s 2019 person of the year, Greta Thunberg, are very vocal on the consequences of global warming, our continuing dependency on fossil fuels, the lack of tolerance and diversity, a shift towards a predominately plant-based food supply chain and the need to create a more inclusive, much fairer distribution of global wealth.
Without question, these are noble, long overdue aspirations, which, if managed appropriately, will not only be for the good of the planet but also provide much needed new business development opportunities across the globe. But what does this mean to the traditional financial firms and will they have a role to play as a trusted, 21st century services provider in the new world order?