Banking For A Better World

This important and accessible must-read will challenge you to find overlaps between your own life and global issues, and to start bridging the gap between your personal needs and those of our planet.

In a world racing to meet the daunting challenges of climate change, economic inequality, population growth, and human migration, Nanno Kleiterp and Marijn Wiersma's 'Banking for a Better World' provides an illuminating case for hope and prosperity from an unlikely source. We only need to flick through the news to find public outrage at tales of short-sighted greed in the financial world. But what happens when banks invest in long-term sustainability? In a timely and inspirational breath of fresh air, Kleiterp and Wiersma draw from over 45 years of collective development banking experience to now shine a light on the industry and its growing role while turning an eye toward an exciting future. Readers will find a fascinating example in FMO's journey laid bare. At times global in perspective, at other moments intimately personal, Kleiterp and Wiersma weave candid anecdotes with development history, banking lessons with client interviews, to deliver a powerful argument for a business model that generates profit through impact, and impact through profit.

What has prompted the shift toward sustainability in numerous financial areas? Can investors' mindsets be changed to embrace a long-term view? Can shareholders and activists play a greater role in encouraging financial actors to behave more responsibly? These are some of the relevant topics that are explored in this forward-looking set of essays.

First Published in 1992. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In 2011 the World Bank—with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—launched the Global Findex database, the world's most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Drawing on survey data collected in collaboration with Gallup, Inc., the Global Findex database covers more than 140 economies around the world. The initial survey round was followed by a second one in 2014 and by a third in 2017. Compiled using nationally representative surveys of more than 150,000 adults age 15 and above in over 140 economies, The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. It has additional data on the use of financial technology (or fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the Internet to conduct financial transactions. The data reveal opportunities to expand access to financial services among people who do not have an account—the unbanked—as well as to promote greater use of digital financial services among those who do have an account. The Global Findex database has become a mainstay of global efforts to promote financial inclusion. In addition to being widely cited by scholars and development practitioners, Global Findex data are used to track progress toward the World Bank goal of Universal Financial Access by 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The database, the full text of the report, and the underlying country-level data for all figures—along with the questionnaire, the survey methodology, and other relevant materials—are available at www.worldbank.org/globalfindex.

Small enough to fit in your pocket, this practical little book will help you change the world as you shop! While we strive to make our vote count every four years, few of us realize that our most immediate power to shape the world is squandered on a daily basis. Every dollar we spend has the potential to create social and environmental change. In fact, it already has. The world that exists today is in large part a result of our purchasing decisions. The Better World Shopping Guide rates hundreds of products and services from A to F, so you can quickly tell the "good guys" from the "bad guys" and ensure your money is not supporting corporations that make decisions based solely on the bottom line. Drawing on decades of meticulous research, this completely revised and updated sixth edition will help you find out who actually "walks the talk" when it comes to: Environmental sustainability Human rights Community involvement Animal protection Social justice Small enough to fit in a back pocket or handbag and organized in a user-friendly format, The Better World Shopping Guide helps you reward companies who are doing good, penalize those involved in destructive activities, and change the world as you shop! Ellis Jones, PhD is the award-winning, bestselling author of five previous editions of The Better World Shopping Guide , and co-author of The Better World Handbook . A scholar of social responsibility, global citizenship, and everyday activism, he has dedicated himself to uncovering practical ways for people to make a difference in the world. He currently teaches at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA.

Cross-border banking, while having the potential for a more efficient financial sector, also creates potential challenges for bank supervisors and regulators. This volume discusses topics that include: the landscape of cross-border bank activity, the resulting competitive implications, emerging challenges for prudential regulation, and more. Cross-border banking, while having the potential for a more efficient financial sector, also creates potential challenges for bank supervisors and regulators. It requires cooperation by regulatory authorities across jurisdictions and a clear delineation of authority and responsibility. That delineation is typically not present and regulatory authorities often have significantly different incentives to respond when cross-border-active banks encounter difficulties. Most of these issues have only begun to be seriously evaluated. This volume, one of the first attempts to address these issues, brings together experts and regulators from different countries. The wide range of topics discussed include: the current landscape of cross-border bank activity, the resulting competitive implications, emerging challenges for prudential regulation, safety net concerns, failure resolution issues, and the potential future evolution of international banking.

Recounts the events of the Bretton Woods accords, presents portaits of the two men at the center of the drama, and reveals Harry White's admiration for Soviet economic planning and communications with intelligence officers.