Download PDF Introduction – SPVs as the Backbone of Structured Finance Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) are separate legal entities formed by a sponsor, designed to acquire assets, issue securities and manage cash flows. SPVs are typically thinly capitalized with their own balance sheet, and many structured to be bankruptcy remote. Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and wastewater utility, enters the final quarter of 2025 burdened with more than £20bn of debt, limited liquidity, and a credit rating deep in non-investment-grade territory. The company, responsible for supplying water and wastewater services to approximately 15 million customers (roughly Read more…
Download PDF Introduction The past year has been difficult for the global automotive industry. Profitability has fallen, share prices have weakened, and several leading manufacturers have struggled to meet expectations. In this article, we explore the factors that led to this downturn and the reasons why even large-scale, multi-brand groups Read more…
Download PDF Introduction The precious metals market is reaching sky-high valuations; gold (Au) has broken $4,000 per ounce for the first time in history, dragging silver (Ag) to its decade-best levels alongside. The rally emerges as geopolitical uncertainty and conflicts drive central banks and investors to these traditional safe havens. Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Europe is recalibrating its industrial strategy for an era of geopolitical rifts and economic rivalry. After decades of prioritizing open markets and strict competition policy, EU leaders are now increasingly willing to foster “European champions” in critical sectors to secure the continent’s strategic autonomy. Supply chain shocks Read more…
Download PDF Introduction The evolution of Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) in Europe was shaped by the structural changes triggered by the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, when economic recession and slow judicial enforcement caused a drastic rise in impaired assets between 2008 and 2014. As outlined by the European Banking Authority (EBA), Read more…
Download PDF Introduction In 2019, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman famously declared that the company did not have a clear plan on how to make money, but rather it planned to build Artificial General Intelligence first and then ask it how to generate a return. Nowadays, OpenAI stands at the centre Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Japan’s financial and corporate landscape is entering a period of profound transformation. After decades of weak growth and institutional conservatism, the country is seeing a resurgence in the stock market, increased activist investor engagement, and growing foreign interest in private credit opportunities. Sanae Takaichi’s election as leader Read more…
Download PDF Private markets, once the exclusive domain of institutional investors, are undergoing a structural transformation. As technology, regulation, and investor behaviour evolve, access to traditionally illiquid asset classes like private equity, credit, and infrastructure is widening. What was once a closed ecosystem of pension funds and endowments is now Read more…
Download PDF Introduction “You show me a hero, and I’ll write you a tragedy.” – The Big Short (2015) In a previously discussed article titled “When Creditors Collide: The Tug of War for Distressed Assets,” we examined the history, mechanics, and initial wave of creditor-on-creditor violence. LMEs (liability management exercises), Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Third-party litigation funding is a new emerging investment strategy which aims to profit from the outcome of court cases. In particular, by financing the legal costs and fees of the claimants, investment firms look to obtain a share of the eventual settlement. As the sector experienced strong Read more…
Download PDF Introduction The pharmaceutical industry is approaching one of its most challenging periods. Over the next five years, a wave of blockbuster drugs, many of which currently generate billions in annual revenue, are going to lose their patent protection, leading to an opening in the market for cheaper substitutes Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Since their inception in the 1700s, Christie’s and Sotheby’s have dominated the top-tier auction market, being the closest of rivals. Characterised by staggering sales, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, ($450.3m, 2017) or Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn ($195m, 2022), the houses trumpeted high margins, Read more…
Download PDF Introduction With IPO window open again, markets start to see more deals coming in, however, the pace is different across regions. While in the US alone 10 large IPOs were priced the week of 8 – 14 September with more companies in pipeline, the European market is Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Switzerland has long been a symbol of financial stability as a nation whose conservative banking culture, strong currency, and independent central bank made it a safe haven in times of global stress. Yet beneath this reputation lies a paradox. The very institutions meant to anchor stability now Read more…