Welcome to New Financial

New Financial is a new think tank and forum that believes Europe needs bigger and better capital markets – and that this presents a huge opportunity for the industry and its customers to embrace change and to rethink how capital markets work. 

Here is a summary of our work and of some of the recent coverage we have received. For a full briefing pack on New Financial, click here:

Our programme:

We work with market participants from different sectors across the industry – investors, issuers, banks, and policymakers – to help change the quality and direction of the debate on the future of capital markets through a managed programme of research and private events around four main themes:

• Unlocking capital markets

• Rebuilding trust in capital markets

• Driving diversity 

• Getting pay right

New Financial has already built a strong reputation as an independent authority on capital markets with policymakers and industry leaders across Europe. This is reflected in the senior level of our speakers and guests, invitations to speak at industry conferences, and organisations such as the Bank of England and European Commission using and citing our research. Our partners – William Wright and Yasmine Chinwala – have spoken regularly at events on capital markets organised by the likes of Chatham House, CSFI, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and the European Commission.

Our work on diversity has been recognised by the government: we provided the underlying research for the review by Jayne-Anne Gadhia of Virgin Money into women in senior management, and we are working with HM Treasury to conduct the annual review of the Women in Finance Charter.

Our research:

New Financial conducts original research on capital markets that combines journalistic presentation and accessibility with depth and rigour. Some recent examples of our research include (to read the reports, click on the title):

What have the capital markets ever done for us? And how could they do it better? 

Analysis of what capital markets do, how different sectors of the industry operate and the value they deliver to the UK and European economy – and how they could do a better job.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Brexit (but didn’t have time to read)

Our analysis and summary of 50 reports on the impact of Brexit in the City of London and financial services

Leading the way: the HM Treasury Women in Financial Charter

Analysis of the deadlines and targets of the first 71 signatories to the Women in Finance Charter

Capital markets in high-potential economies

Analysis of the potential growth and benefits of deeper capital markets in Central and Eastern Europe

Beyond Brexit: the outlook for EU capital markets

Analysis of the size, depth and growth potential of capital markets in the EU27

Taking stock on pay

Annual analysis of trend in pay and the economics of asset management and investment banking

Counting every woman 2016

Our second annual analysis of gender diversity at more than 200 organisations in 11 sectors in European capital markets. The report was covered in the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal, and has become a reference for the diversity programmes at a number of firms.

Yasmine Chinwala, a partner at New Financial, spoke at the opening of the London Stock Exchange on the power of diversity to drive cultural change in the capital markets industry to mark International Women’s Day with Women in ETFs.

Our events:

We run an active programme of private events, briefings and workshops on ‘neutral territory’ at our premises in Green Park in central London. All of our events are held under the Chatham House rule, and for each event we curate a small group of guests (usually 12 to 15) from different sectors of the industry. There are no set speeches or presentations at our events and we encourage as open a discussion as possible. We produce short anonymised 10-point summaries of the discussions that we circulate to our members and to policymakers across Europe.

Capital markets:

How (not) to talk about banking and finance – dinner with Lord Hill, former European Commissioner

How banking and finance can reconnect with society – dinner with Lord Browne, ex-CEO of BP

Driving growth via capital markets in Europe – dinner with Olivier Guersent, director general DG FISMA, European Commission

‘Between Debt and the Devil’ – dinner with Adair Turner, chairman of the Institute of New Economic Thinking and former chairman of the FSA

+ a series of workshops for policy, PR and comms on different aspects of capital markets

Brexit:

Brexit: the view from Brussels – dinner with Kay Swinburne MEP, member of the ECON Committee in the European Parliament

What does the financial industry want from Brexit? And what can it reasonably expect? – dinner with Lord Bridges, Minister for Brexit in the House of Lords

The future of financial regulation post-Brexit – dinner with Andrew Bailey, FCA

The potential impact of Brexit – dinner with Jonathan Faull, head of the European Commission’s task force for strategic issues related to the UK referendum

+ a regular series of policy workshops on different aspects of Brexit

Culture & trust:

Culture and financial stability in banking – dinner with Dr Andreas Dombret, Deutsche Bundesbank

How to make a better case for the value of banking and finance – dinner with Baroness Shriti Vadera, Santander UK

‘Other People’s Money’ – dinner with Professor John Kay

An outsider’s view on culture in banking and finance – Joris Lujendijk, anthropologist and author of Swimming with Sharks

Rebuilding trust between regulators and regulated – dinner with Andrea Enria, chairman, European Banking Authority

Driving diversity:

We host a rolling series of diversity workshops to explore the latest developments and best practice in different areas of diversity, including: Gender diversity; disclosure of diversity and targets; recruitment – widening the gene pool; diversity from a PR and communications perspective; how to avoid groupthink, and how to create an inclusive workplace

Discussion of Financial Reporting Council’s report on corporate culture with Anna Colban, FRC

Preparing for gender pay gap reporting, with Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society

What banking can learn about diversity disclosure from the legal sector, with the SRA

Applying the Gadhia Review’s principles beyond gender diversity  – Simon Fillery, head of inclusion at the Bank of England

Pay: 

Beyond bonuses: what really motivates people? – dinner with Dr Raj Persaud, consultant psychiatrist and psychologist

Getting pay right – John Fraser, former  chairman of UBS Global Asset Management

For more information about our events and research programme, please contact us at info@newfinancial.eu