Global Emerging Market Research Highlights

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Could better reporting bolster ESG funds in emerging markets?

As financial markets experience significant headwinds in 2022, environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds saw their first net outflow since 2011. However, the energy transition, climate-related threats to food security and the search for long-term value could prompt a resurgence of sustainable investment in emerging markets. After global ESG funds enjoyed a record run from 2019 to 2021, growing by 98% and seeing net inflows of $25bn in 2020 and $35bn in 2021, net outflow from ESG funds in 2022...

Emerging Market Trends 2022: Payment Solutions

Even as the global economy grapples with inflation, supply chain constraints and high commodity prices, new payment solutions are helping billions in emerging markets access and deploy much-needed capital. Driven by a decline in cash payments during the Covid-19 pandemic, digital payments skyrocketed in line with the growth in e-commerce, as the financial technology (fintech) sector expanded to provide consumers with a wider variety of payment options. The growth of digital payments has been strongest...

Latin America and the Caribbean: Year in Review 2022

Amid a challenging year for the global economy, which navigated inflation, conflict, climate-related extreme weather events and supply chain disruptions, Latin America and the Caribbean showed resilience in 2022. While global GDP growth slowed from 6% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022, the region achieved 3.5% growth in 2022, despite its two leading economies – Brazil and Mexico – expanding by 2.8% and 2.1%, respectively, according to IMF forecasts from October. Nonetheless, the Brazilian real and the Mexican...

Year in Review 2022: Asia

An easing of Covid-19-related restrictions and shifting supply chains have bolstered growth in Asia, even as inflation and climate change generate significant headwinds. While South-east Asian countries such as Thailand and Vietnam had lifted restrictions in 2021, the last quarter of this year saw Japan reopen its borders to foreign travellers and China begin to roll back Covid-19-contaiment policies, signalling a gradual return to economic normalcy in the Asia-Pacific region. The same issues...

Emerging Market Trends 2022: Global Supply Chains

Macroeconomic forces such as inflation, geopolitical tension punctuated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and spikes in commodity prices heightened supply chain disruptions in 2022, which included capacity constraints, higher freight costs, labour shortages and port slowdowns. According to a survey of logistics and supply chain professionals conducted in December 2022, some 71.8% of companies were dealing with supply chain disruptions, while 57.7% were trying to navigate transport capacity shortages...