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The report examines the remittance landscape for immigrants in Norway, comparing 42 services across 21 mechanisms, including banks, money transfer operators (MTOs), and informal hawala systems. It highlights a restrictive regulatory environment that often drives users toward illegal services, particularly for transfers to Somalia and Iraq. The analysis reveals that real costs are often hidden through exchange rate spreads, with typical costs for NOK 1,000 transfers ranging from 5% to 25%. While bank transfers can be cheaper for larger amounts, they are often slower and less predictable than MTOs. The report argues that improving financial literacy and regularizing informal services could enhance the development impact of remittances and improve immigrant integration.

The document examines South Africa's leadership in corporate governance through the self-regulatory King Reports, which integrate financial, social, ethical, and environmental standards. It details the transition from a closed, rent-seeking economy to a liberalised market, the role of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in enforcing standards, and the challenges of institutional capacity and erratic enforcement. The report also discusses the impact of Black Economic Empowerment and provides recommendations for other African states to adopt governance measures scaled to their specific market sophistication and institutional capacity.

The author contends that the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) act as a 'political camouflage' that prioritizes alleviating the visible signs of poverty—such as hunger and disease—over addressing the structural causes of African underdevelopment. While acknowledging the MDGs' role in improving the global debate on aid effectiveness, the paper argues that focusing on gross enrolment in primary education and basic health outcomes ignores the need for technical skills, commercial infrastructure, and a competitive business environment. To counter this, the author proposes a comprehensive 'African Millennium Growth Plan' centered on eight pillars: strengthening commercial infrastructure, investing in rural economies, enhancing technical skills and research, increasing domestic lending and savings, raising domestic revenue, promoting the rule of law, removing bureaucratic obstacles, and fighting corruption.

The document asserts that climate change and the net zero-carbon transition create material financial risks for all UK listed companies, making detailed disclosure a legal necessity. It claims that the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have failed to hold companies accountable, citing a series of complaints made by ClientEarth where regulators took no public enforcement action despite evidence of non-compliance. The report urges regulators to close this 'accountability gap' and encourages institutional investors to use their power to demand TCFD-aligned disclosures.

The RRI programme, a partnership between Cenfri and FSD Africa, worked to remove barriers to inclusive finance for an estimated 5.6 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative focused on regulatory reform, capacity building for 750 regulators, and providing advice to 530 financial service providers to foster innovation in payments, insurance, and remittances. Key findings highlight that simple adaptations to supervisory processes are often more effective than complex regulatory sandboxes and that regional payment and data infrastructure are critical for the success of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA).

The white paper argues that African capital market regulators often face a dual mandate of both developing and regulating markets, which requires a proportional approach based on the market's maturity. It introduces a five-stage analytical framework—Foundational, Nascent, Emerging Early, Emerging Maturing, and Advanced—to help regulators determine whether to focus on building blocks, commodity markets, or sophisticated financial products. The report highlights that while some regulators like Morocco's AMMC are well-aligned, others face operational deficits or inefficiencies. It suggests a fluid funding mix of government and industry fees to ensure financial sustainability and independence.

Global Witness advocates for Amendment 36 to the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which would require UK financial institutions to conduct due diligence to prevent funding illegal deforestation. The organization argues that existing government proposals for a Treasury review and reliance on the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD) are insufficient, citing that UK banks and asset managers provided an estimated $16.6 billion to businesses implicated in deforestation between 2015-2020. The amendment is supported by financial institutions representing £2.7 trillion in assets and aligns with the UK's commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use.

The document urges the UK's new Prime Minister to use the Financial Services and Markets Bill to align financial flows with climate and nature goals. Global Witness claims the current draft prioritises 'international competitiveness' over climate targets and fails to meet COP26 pledges. The author proposes two amendments: a statutory objective for regulators to consider nature and climate, and a 'forest finance amendment' requiring due diligence on clients dealing with forest-risk commodities. The text highlights that over £300 billion of UK pension money is invested in high deforestation risk entities, with £200 billion in exposure specifically to Brazilian beef and soy and Indonesian palm oil supply chains.

The document examines the disconnect between financial policy-making and environmental goals, arguing that the global financial system is structurally biased toward fossil fuels and against renewables and energy efficiency. It asserts that greening the financial system fits within the mandates of central banks and regulators—including objectives like financial stability, investor protection, and growth. The author proposes a framework for financial policy-makers, especially in China, involving mandatory carbon exposure disclosure, carbon stress tests, and the assessment of carbon risk as a systemic threat. Additionally, the paper advocates for 'interventionist' policies, such as preferential risk weights and lending quotas for green investments, noting that such measures are already used by major central banks in both OECD and emerging economies to support other sectors.

Two years after the Paris financial center committed to coal exit strategies, Reclaim Finance finds a mixed record. While 24 of 54 analyzed actors have robust policies, others lack them entirely or have significant gaps, such as failing to exclude coal developers or lacking clear exit dates. Major banks like BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, and Natixis remain under scrutiny for continuing to support coal companies without credible transition plans.

The document examines South Africa's use of monetary and macroprudential tools to maintain financial stability during COVID-19, while highlighting the constraints imposed by pre-existing fiscal weakness and junk-status debt. It argues that while the South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) adherence to international standards like Basel III provided critical shock absorbers, long-term growth requires structural reforms and credible fiscal consolidation.

The document argues that aligning all public and private finance is a necessary condition for meeting the temperature and adaptation goals of the Paris Agreement. It introduces a framework for governments and non-state actors to drive action, track progress, and increase ambition regarding Article 2.1c. To support this, the paper identifies four primary toolsets for governments: financial policies and regulations, fiscal policy levers, public finance, and information instruments. The author emphasizes urgency, noting that the world must reach net-zero emissions within 25 years to limit warming to 1.5°C, and suggests integrating Article 2.1c into UNFCCC processes like the Global Stocktake and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).