Z/Yen Community Newsletter June 2025
Monday, 02 June 2025By Sasha Davis
As we welcome the start of June and the approach of summer, we’re delighted to highlight what’s ahead. On 5 June, the Esop Centre’s Employee Share Plan Symposium returns at Baker McKenzie’s London offices, with expert panels and the announcement of the newspad Awards. Earlier that same day, join us online for a webinar with Dr Sara Abdaless of Northeastern University London on strategic collaboration between charities and trade unions, with practical insights for those involved in ESG and stakeholder strategy. We also invite you to the FS Club Summer Mixer, kindly hosted by the Bank of China on 1 July, where we’ll discuss the future of AI in digital, green and inclusive finance over drinks and canapés - FS Club sponsors attend free. We hope to see many of you there!
Sasha Davis (Manager, FS Club) & The Team at Z/Yen
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Events & Webinars
- Webinars
Towards A More Sustainable Future For Civil Society Organisations Thursday, 05 June 2025
Cityforum Resilience Webinar 2025 Wednesday, 09 July 2025
- Events
FS Club Summer Mixer - Can AI Survive Regulation? Tuesday, 01 July 2025
The Esop Centre’s newspad, is a monthly publication providing in-depth coverage of the main international news in the field of employee share ownership. Read this month’s newspad in full.
FS Club News
Dubai International Finance Center: DIFC has published its third Future of Finance report, titled “Emerging Technologies and Finance: AI’s transformative impact on finance and innovation”. Produced in partnership with Asia House, the report explores how AI, blockchain, cloud computing and digital solutions are driving innovation, operational and cost efficiencies, financial inclusion, and sustainable growth for the global financial services industry.
Informed by network-based research and candid discussions with industry leaders, this report uncovers how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are rewriting the playbook for the global financial services industry. Download your copy here.
Busan Finance Center: World-class shipbuilders in Busan meet supercycle opportunity, stimulating growth in Busan’s maritime finance ecosystem:
Shipbuilding, a primary industry in the Busan region, is sailing into a supercycle driven by accelerating demand for eco-friendly vessels. World-class shipbuilders in the Busan region—including HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Ocean—have significantly improved their performance and profitability and are expected to reach USD 36 billion in sales this year through increased orders for eco-friendly vessels such as LNG carriers.
Along with the growing demand for eco-friendly ships, this significant growth is also partly due to recent changes in international geopolitics. For instance, cooperation and ties with the United States are expected to deepen in the shipbuilding sector, providing growth opportunities for shipbuilders. As a result of these factors, the share of Korean shipbuilders surged by 18 percentage points this quarter, accounting for 32% of global new shipbuilding contracts.
In response to this increase in shipbuilding demand, financial institutions based in the Busan are further scaling up the volume and scale of maritime finance. Notably, Korea Ocean Business Corporation (KOBC) is supporting Korea’s shipbuilding and maritime sectors by financing approximately USD 2.1 billion in shipbuilding. In addition, KOBC also plans to allocate USD 243 million in building eco-friendly vessels.
Meanwhile, BNK Financial Group, headquartered in Busan International Finance Center (BIFC) and providing comprehensive financial services, is set to collaborate with ING Bank to strengthen global sustainability and to expand cooperation in maritime finance by signing an MOU on ESG finance on February 24th. This will bolster the shipping finance and renewable energy projects led by the BNK Financial Group.
Seoul Fintech Lab: Seoul Financial Hub, managed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is currently inviting esteemed overseas financial institutions to join our global financial epicenter in Yeouido, Seoul. Benefit from exclusive office space, expert consultation on market entry, and unparalleled networking opportunities. Stay ahead with insights into the Korean Financial market. For further details about Seoul Financial Hub, click here.
Financial Services Commission Mauritius: Mauritius – A Strategic Hub for Innovative Insurance and Reinsurance Solutions in Africa: Mauritius has established itself as a premier destination for insurance and reinsurance business, distinguished by its strong adherence to international best practices and regulatory standards under the Financial Services Commission. Contributing 2% to the country’s GDP in 2023 [Statistics Mauritius - National Accounts - December 2024 Issue], the insurance sector benefits from a robust legislative framework, including the Insurance Act, the Captive Insurance Act and the Insurance (Structured Investment Linked Insurance Business) Rules 2022. Recent enhancements to the captive insurance framework, introducing diverse captive categories and permitting third-party risk exposures, demonstrate Mauritius' commitment to innovation and growth. The strategic use of Protected Cell Companies further enhances business structuring opportunities. With an insurance penetration rate of 4.3% in 2024 [Bank of Mauritius - Financial Stability Report December 2024], the sector shows resilience and attractiveness. The recent establishment of a Lloyd's service company in Mauritius, further solidifies the country’s position as a major insurance hub in Africa, offering a stable jurisdiction for global and regional stakeholders.
Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance: In early May 2025, the Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance (TABF) signed Memorandums of Understanding with both the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and the Chartered Banker Institute (CBI), expanding its global network of collaboration.
These strategic partnerships reflect a shared commitment to advancing sustainable finance education, ethical banking, and financial resilience in response to global ESG priorities.
The signing of both MoUs marks an important step in TABF’s ongoing efforts to enhance international engagement and reinforce Taiwan’s role in the global sustainable finance community.
📣 Follow us on LinkedIn to stay informed about our latest global partnerships and initiatives!
Astana International Financial Centre: “Experts from the Astana International Financial Centre have published an analytical report “Emissions trading systems and voluntary carbon market: Global overview and prospects for Kazakhstan”. The report explores important aspects of building a green economy, with a particular focus on Kazakhstan. International experience demonstrates that emissions trading systems in developed and industrially emerging countries operate on a model of the partial distribution of allowances through auctioning, which helps establish a market price for carbon. In Kazakhstan, the national Emissions Trading System was launched in 2013 and currently covers 47% of emissions, generated by 135 companies from the energy, mining and manufacturing sectors. Also the AIFC has established the Green Finance Centre to advance sustainable finance tools and encourage investment in environmental and social projects in Kazakhstan and Central Asian region”.
Northeastern University London: Want to progress in your role, but not sure how? Struggling to find the right training to progress in your job role? Perhaps course funding is an issue? Join our Degree Apprenticeship taster days to experience this fully funded development pathway firsthand.
We will be hosting virtual and in-person tasters where you can choose a subject that best aligns with your job role from our range of options.
Hear from our expert tutors on topics such as “How AI understands human language” to “The age of evidence: Using research in policy making”. Find out more about the flexible online learning and support available to help you develop, the variety of apprenticeships we offer and join an engaging learning session. The session will end with a Q&A to cover any queries you might have on career paths and funding details.
Secure your spot now:
Virtual Taster Lectures - Thursday 19th June, 12-1pm
In-person Taster Day - Thursday 3rd July, 10:30am – 13:30pm
*These taster days are suitable for those already in employment in a role where they wish to develop using an aligned apprenticeship programme*
GFT Financial Ltd: GFT – headline sponsor of British bank awards: The GFT retail banking team were out in force at the recent British bank awards in London, celebrating alongside some of the brightest minds in financial services, with GFT’s Priya Lakshmi delivering the keynote presentation during the awards ceremony and highlighting findings from GFT’s unique Banking Disruption Index. As headline sponsor, GFT’s Christopher Ortiz presented 4 key awards, including the prestigious 'Best British Bank' award. Read more here.
How to transform corporate banking for the digital age: GFT and 10x Banking are helping banks overcome legacy barriers with modern core banking solutions, enabling personalised services and innovation. Explore the future of corporate banking here.
Our new success story: Google Cloud Vertex AI ignites a financial services revolution - How a global bank harnessed compliance as a catalyst for innovation
Regulatory compliance is often seen as a necessary burden that’s costly, complex and ever-changing. But what if it could be more? What if it could be the gateway to something bigger? With support from GFT and the power of Google Cloud Vertex AI, this global bank reimagined compliance not just as a box to tick, but as the foundation for enterprise-wide innovation. The successful implementation serves as a blueprint for other industries to follow. Discover the story behind the transformation! Read more here.
Our latest blogs:
How is hyper-personalised wealth management currently revolutionising the financial advisory landscape? In our latest GFT Engineering blog on Medium, Michael Doherty-Harding provides an analysis on the role AI and ML in transforming the industry. LINK
Bridgeworks: The March to WAN Acceleration: Why Organisations Should Avoid Putting Their Eggs In One Basket: In this software-defined era there is a new type of Wide Area Network (WAN) – the SD-WAN. It’s described by World Wide Technology as “the next generation of WAN technology,” which forms the foundation of today’s WAN infrastructure. This is positive for industry overall, since organisations often offer this as a service and it can be hosted in a multitude of locations – changing where applications are located. With traditional network infrastructure, a hub-and-spoke approach is deployed, with organisations renting leased lines “from service providers, to interconnect remote locations or central data centre hubs,” explains the firm. It then explains that traffic flowed from a remote location (spoke) to a central hub in order to reach applications services and the public internet, provided from central locations. This network architectural model was favoured for years, as organisations became more interconnected, as services became highly centralised. David Trossell, CEO and CTO of Bridgeworks, comments: “Organisations in the past have used leased lines from service providers to connect remote locations to the data centre. Data traffic flowed to and from a remote location to a data centre to access applications and on to the public internet , typically provided from the Data Centre, all under Central control.” Read the full article here.
Sponsorship Opportunities
We currently have opportunities available to partner with Z/Yen as a sponsor for our ongoing research into the development of financial centres. If you may be interested in sponsorship of the Global Green Finance Index or Smart Centres Index, please get in touch with Mike Wardle.
Z/Yen Launches Ethical AI Course with CISI Register Here
The Chartered Institute For Securities & Investment, in collaboration with Z/Yen Group and Professor Michael Mainelli, have launched a Certificate in Ethical Artificial Intelligence. The short online course deals with the core definitions and global developments in the field of AI, associated ethical dilemmas, and the implications for financial services. Find Out More
The Chartered Institute For ITBCS Foundation Certificate in the Ethical Build of AI This course introduces the key issues in ethical AI and equips you to design and build AI ethically, navigating risks from security to human rights.
Pamphleteers Blog The Pamphleteers Blog features considered thoughts – somewhere between a knee-jerk editorial and a full-blown piece of research.
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