Sustainable Finance And Financial Crime

Sustainable finance is a holistic approach to the sustainability development goals (SDG), so that the interdependence between environmental, social, and governance issues is unveiled. Sustainable finance takes into account the various challenges following from social change and sustainability, the evolution of capital markets, and the development of efficient risk management practices. Governance issues are an integral part of sustainable finance. However, academic literature has generally neglected to consider strategies to prevent and fight financial crimes as a crucial component of sustainable finance. The aim of this book is to focus on the interconnectedness between sustainable finance and preventing/fighting financial crime, not only as a crucial governance issue, but also as a deep challenge for social and even environmental issues. There is no really sustainable finance without developing strong and efficient means to fight financial crimes.

Many commentators, regulatory agencies and politicians have blamed the risky behaviour of both financial institutions and their actors for the collapse of the United States sub-prime mortgage market which in turn precipitated the global 'Credit Crunch'. This edited volume explores how financial crime played a significant role in the global economic crisis. The volume features contributions from internationally renowned academic and practitioner experts in the field who pinpoint some of the most important facets of financial crime which have emerged over recent years. Key subjects include: the possibility of criminalising reckless risk-taking on the financial markets; the duty of banks to prevent money-laundering and corruption; the growth of the Shadow Banking System; and the manipulation of LIBOR by banks. The book illustrates the global nature of financial crime, and highlights the complex relationships between regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies and private actors in the attempt to limit the harmful effect of white collar crime on the stability of the financial sector. This book will be of great use and interest to scholars, practitioners and students within the field of financial crime, banking and finance law, and international political economy.

This edited collection brings together leading theoretical and applied research with the intent to design a sustainable global financial future. The contributors argue that our world cannot move toward sustainability, address climate change, reverse environmental degradation, and improve human well-being without aligning the financial system with sustainable development goals like those outlined by the United Nations. Such a system would: a) be environmentally and socially responsible; b) align with planetary boundaries; c) manage natural resources sustainably; d) avoid doing more harm than good; and e) be resilient and adaptable to changing conditions. The overarching theme in this collection of chapters is a response to the worldwide, supranational sustainable finance discussions about how we can transition to a new socio-ecological system where finance, human well-being, and planetary health are recognized as being highly intertwined.

A significant proportion of serious crime is economically motivated. Almost all financial crimes will be either motivated by greed, or the desire to cover up misconduct. This Handbook addresses financial crimes such as fraud, corruption and money laundering, and highlights both the risks presented by these crimes, as well as their impact on the economy. The contributors cover the practical issues on the topic on a transnational level, both in terms of the crimes and the steps taken to control them. They place an emphasis on the prevention, disruption and control of financial crime. They discuss, in eight parts, the nature and characteristics of economic and financial crime, The enterprise of crime, business crime, the financial sector at risk, fraud, corruption, The proceeds of financial and economic crime, and enforcement and control. Academics interested in criminology, law, as well as business and legal studies students will find this book to be an invaluable resource. Practitioners, including lawyers, compliance and risk managements, law enforcement officers, and policy makers will also find the points raised to be of use.

This book deals with the widespread economic and financial crime issues of corruption, the shadow economy and money laundering. It investigates both the theoretical and practical aspects of these crimes, identifying their effects on economic, social and political life. This book presents these causes and effects with a state of the art review and with recent empirical research. It compares the international and transnational aspects of these economic and financial crimes through discussion and critical analysis. This volume will be of interest to researchers and policy makers working to study and prevent economic and financial crime, white collar crime, and organized crime.

Long term asset owners and managers, while seeking high risk-adjusted returns and efficiently allocating scarce financial capital to the highest value economic activities, have the essential and formidable role of ensuring the sustainability of return. But generally accepted financial accounting methods are ill-equipped to provide clear signals of the risks and opportunities created by scarce natural and human capital. Hence many investment managers in global financial markets, while performing due diligence on portfolio companies, examine metrics of non-financial performance, especially environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators. Broken into three sections, this book outlines the rationale for and methods used in six areas where financial acumen has been harnessed to the goal of combining monetary return with long run sustainability. The first section offers an introduction to the role of finance in achieving sustainability, and includes an overview of the six areas—sustainable investing, impact investing, decentralized finance, conservation finance, and cleantech finance. The methods section of the book illustrates analytical tools and specialized data sources essential to those interested in increasing the level of social responsibility embedded in economic activity. The applications section describes and differentiates each of the six areas and their roles in advancing specific measures of sustainability.

In recent years sustainable finance along with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) aspects and their implications for financial institutions have attracted the attention of academics and policy makers. The aim of the book is to bring together chapters that discuss the most recent empirical and theoretical evidence in the field, along with policy making and regulatory initiatives. The book covers topics such as the changing role of banks in the financial system, the differences between sustainable banks and traditional banks, ESG and financial performance, bank social responsibility and customer satisfaction, ESG risk management of financial institutions, the politics of climate finance and policy initiatives, and the role of bank regulators. It will be of interest to academics and policymakers working in banking, risk management, sustainable finance and related fields. Chrysovalantis Gaganis is Professor of Finance in the Department of Economics at the University of Crete, Greece. Fotios Pasiouras is Professor of Banking & Finance at Montpellier Business School, France. Menelaos Tasiou is a Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Methods and Data Analytics at the School of Economics, Accounting and Finance at the University of Portsmouth, UK. Constantin Zopounidis is Professor of Financial Engineering and Operations Research, at Technical University of Crete, Greece, Distinguished Research Professor in Audencia Business School, France, a Senior Academician of both the Royal Academy of Doctors and the Royal Academy of Economics and Financial Sciences of Spain.