When looking ahead to next year it is easy to focus on the many uncertainties around the world, but we prefer to focus on what we consider a certainty: the continued, rapid digitalisation of the financial services industry. We have already seen huge disruption on this front in the last five to ten years and we expect this to continue creating new investment opportunities through the next decade and beyond.

Swiss Re announced an agreement to sell its subsidiary ReAssure Group plc to Phoenix Group Holdings plc. As part of the agreement, which values ReAssure at GBP 3.25 billion, Swiss Re will receive a cash payment of GBP 1.2 billion, shares in Phoenix representing a 13% to 17% stake and be entitled to a seat on its Board of Directors.

CNP Assurances has successfully launched its first subordinated green bond issuance. Jean-Philippe Médecin, the director of the prop trading and financing department at CNP Assurances, gave us more details.

CNP Assurances is among the first French institutional investors to sign up to the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, an unprecedented initiative supported by the United Nations aimed at strengthening and accelerating commitments to implement the Paris Agreement.

The day before the Climate Finance Day, which will be held in Paris on 29 November, and ahead of COP 25, which takes place in Madrid from 2 to 13 December, Societe Generale reaffirms its commitments in favour of a responsible ecological transition.