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The corporate sustainability actions that reward investors

Lou Lee — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:14:02 +0000

The corporate sustainability actions that reward investors

Lou Lee Tue, 13/10/2026 - 12:14

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Article at a glance

US companies leading on transformative sustainability behaviours delivered an extra 4.56 per cent return above market expectations from 2016 to 2024, according to research by the Leonardo Centre on Business for Society at ImperiaBusiness School
Investors can help drive transformation by directing capital towards companies making meaningful changes and using their influence to encourage further progress.
High environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings did not produce comparable returns: what drives value is embedding sustainability into operations and innovations, as opposed to philanthropy or communications.

For decades, corporate sustainability has largely been framed around ethics and public relations, with governments driving change through regulation and taxation. Against this backdrop, political opposition and scrutiny of ESG-labelled investments, particularly in the US, have fueled the narrative that sustainable investing is in retreat.

But new research by ImperiaBusiness School’s Leonardo Centre on Business for Society suggests the relationship between sustainability and financial performance deserves a fresh look. Rather than abandoning sustainability, the market may be repricing it. Investors are looking for evidence that sustainability can strengthen business performance and create shareholder value.

In A Behavioural Revolution, launched in 2025, researchers found that sustainability can generate financial value when companies embed it into how they operate, innovate and compete, rather than focusing only on external-facing commitments such as philanthropy and communications.

The findings are striking, particularly in the US. The US Finance for Impact Report, led by Dr Shuying (Melody) Wu, Research Fellow in Sustainable Finance at the Leonardo Centre, found that US companies most committed to transforming their businesses through sustainability generated an annualised alpha of 4.56 per cent between 2016 and 2024. Alpha means the extra profit or returns the portfolio made above the market average, calculated per year. It also proved that these companies are more resilient during market downturns.

The evidence base for ��’s Finance for Impact Research is a unique innovation in itself - the GOLDEN Sustainability Dataset - leverages the power of AI to identify more than 2.6 million sustainability initiatives from around 88,000 reports published by over 18,000 companies globally. Researchers then apply a second new and novel concept: the Leonardo Centre’s Business Impact Maturity framework, a methodology for classifying initiatives according to what companies do and how deeply sustainability is integrated into their business.

The research is still relatively young and has so far focused on finance, but the potential to explore other hypotheses about the relationship between identifiable corporate behaviours and the impacts they create is vast.

What counts as transformation?

Drawing on concepts from psychology, Business Impact Maturity provides a way to classify business behaviours according to their level of development, helping distinguish between actions that simply signal intent and those that drive meaningful real-world impact.

Advocacy includes externally oriented or philanthropic activity; preparation covers capability-building, such as employee development and sustainability processes. Transformation goes further, embedding sustainability into operations, innovation, products and business models. In the US analysis, transformation was the only category consistently associated with statistically significant excess returns.

Transformative actions can include investing in research and development, launching new products and redesigning processes. These changes can improve productivity and resilience and create growth opportunities. By contrast, activities that remain largely symbolic or external-facing may enhance a company’s reputation without changing the underlying economics of its business.

Conventional ESG ratings can provide information about companies’ disclosures, governance structures and management of sustainability-related risks. But they do not necessarily show whether a company is translating sustainability into business transformation. In the research, highly rated ESG portfolios did not generate the same consistent alpha as portfolios of companies transforming their operations and innovation.

The sustainability that pays differs by market

Across geographies, sustainability creates value when it changes the business, although the sustainability actions most closely associated with financial returns differ by market.

For instance, the Japan Finance for Impact Report, which covers fiscal years 2012 – 2024, finds that sustainability-led innovation, rather than transformation in its broadest sense, is the clearest source of value creation.

In Japan, companies that focused on sustainability-led innovation also outperformed the market, delivering returns 3 per cent above expectations annually. An investment strategy that bought shares in companies leading on innovation and sold shares in those lagging behind delivered annual returns 4.7 per cent above expectations..

Investors and CEOs hold the lever

The message for investors is clear: capital allocation can reward companies that turn sustainability commitments into meaningful business change.

Index providers can create indices ranking companies on sustainability transformation, which passive managers can track. Passive investors can influence investment mandates, while long-term and public capital can direct funding towards companies driving transformation. Active investors can encourage change through board engagement, shareholder proposals and examples of best practice.

For business leaders, the implication is equally direct. Doing good and generating returns need not be a trade-off. But greenwashing and box-ticking to secure a better ESG score will not necessarily deliver either. The opportunity lies in changing how the business works — and demonstrating the value that change creates.

The Leonardo Centre on Business for Society advances responsible business through research and collaboration with scholars, businesses and global institutions. It is seeking partners to co-develop investment solutions and will present its research with investors and business leaders at COP31 (9–20 November 2026) and the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos (18–22 January 2027).

Should you like to explore collaboration with The Leonardo Centre directly, please contact Melody Wu, Research Fellow in Sustainable Finance at the Leonardo Centre on Business and Society.

“The conventional story, and there is some substance to it, is that firms face a clear trade-off: you can either do good or you can do well, but you cannot do both. … This new research tells us that story may no longer hold. It points to a fundamental shift in the way we should think about sustainability: sustainability is a source of alpha.”

— Richard Damania of the World Bank in a keynote at a Leonardo Centre–Ceres event 'Unlocking Shareholder Value Through Corporate Behaviour Insights.'

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Investing in nature: Why markets haven’t caught up yet

Pernille Holtedahl — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:14:02 +0000

Investing in nature: Why markets haven’t caught up yet

Pernille Holtedahl Tue, 13/10/2026 - 12:14

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In a bid to uncover how public equity markets address nature and biodiversity loss, new research from Pernille Holtedahl and Iva Koci reveals that nature investing is currently focused more on managing risk than finding new investment opportunities.
While investors recognise that nature-related risks can impact a company’s cash flow and long-term value, equity markets have yet to fully reflect these risks in company valuations.
Despite limited public nature-investment opportunities, water management emerges as the clearest investable theme.

Nature and biodiversity loss are high on the agenda of corporates and financial players. But how are investors responding to nature-related risks and opportunities in public equity markets?

Drawing directly from the perspectives of early-adopter investors through a bespoke survey and a series of semi-structured interviews, our research uncovers both the limitations and opportunities of investing in nature.

Nature investing is still primarily about managing risk

Currently, nature investing is more about managing risk than finding new investment opportunities.

Most public equity investors take nature into account from a financial perspective, mainly to protect their portfolios from potential losses. This includes exposure to operational, regulatory or reputational risks.

Nature is viewed less as a strategic source of long-term value creation.

The nature data challenge

So, what is holding nature investing back?

The problem is not simply a lack of reliable data, but the challenge of translating data into information that investors can use to make investment decisions. Data on nature and biodiversity can be hard to measure, leaving investors uncertain about which data are useful and reliable.

Investors also perceive a lack of evidence that positive nature impact translates into financial performance.

Furthermore, our research identifies that public equities seem to offer investors relatively few ways of investing directly in biodiversity restoration or nature itself.

More than half of respondents (55 per cent) indicate they invest in nature “solution providers” – public companies whose activities directly contribute to solving nature and biodiversity challenges. Consensus amongst public equity investors on what qualifies as a nature solution remains limited, however, leading to a broad definition.

Public equity investors primarily invest in how products are made, rather than in what is produced. For example, they invest in beverage producers that have reduced plastic packaging, or clothing brands that recycle fabrics or have improved their supply chain.

Direct investments in nature and biodiversity – such as sustainable agriculture or forestry – are better suited to private markets.

Altogether, these challenges create investment barriers that will remain difficult to address without better risk models, coordinated policy or market interventions.

Previous research from ImperiaBusiness School found that businesses are more likely to act on biodiversity when nature-related interventions deliver clear and measurable financial value, pointing to a similar underlying problem.

"Investor awareness of nature is running ahead of market action."

Investors see the risk. Markets don’t.

Investors overwhelmingly recognise that nature-related risks can negatively affect a company’s future cash flows and long-term value (financial materiality). Yet they report that these risks are not adequately reflected in current equity prices (market materiality).

This disconnect can be explained by the fact that nature-related exposures are difficult for markets to price because they are often long-term, uncertain and difficult to observe through standard valuation models.

The pricing picture is not the same across all sectors. Nature-related risks are more likely to be incorporated into equity prices in sectors that are directly dependent on natural capital. This includes land-intensive industries, such as agriculture, paper, pulp and timber, and utilities. Nature risks are more immediate and operationally relevant in these sectors, and therefore can have a more direct effect on a company’s cash flows.

Nevertheless, 63 per cent of respondents expect nature-related risks and opportunities to become more fully priced over the coming decade.

Why water stands out

Public nature-investment opportunities are emerging in areas where investment models are well established and available. Water management has emerged as the most highly rated opportunity amongst respondents, with nearly 80 per cent rating it as “very important”, followed by forests and other provisioning industries.

The sector has many characteristics that make investors comfortable. This includes a large number of listed companies, established business models, clearer revenue streams and stronger links to financial value, which help to attract investor attention.

Water-related challenges are also more immediately quantifiable, data-driven and actionable than other nature themes, making them easier to incorporate into existing investment processes.

What does this mean for markets?

Structural and informational barriers currently make it difficult for investors to incorporate nature considerations into public equity investment decisions. This early stage of nature investing is similar to where climate risk integration was in its early years: investors are increasingly aware of the risks, but markets have yet to fully price them in.

Nevertheless, growing awareness, regulatory developments and better measurement frameworks may help nature-related risks and opportunities become more fully incorporated into asset prices over the coming decade.

For now, investor awareness of nature is running ahead of market action.

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Nature is gaining investor attention, but markets are still struggling to price its value. New research reveals why investors remain cautious, what must change to unlock opportunities, and why water is emerging as a key area to watch.

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Leonardo Centre takes sustainability research to Wall Street investors during New York Climate Week

Lou Lee — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

Leonardo Centre takes sustainability research to Wall Street investors during New York Climate Week

Lou Lee Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

23 October 2026 News

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21 September 2026

ImperiaBusiness School's Leonardo Centre on Business for Society will bring its latest sustainability research directly to institutional investors this month, co-hosting an invitation-only roundtable during New York Climate Week. The Investor Case for Transformation takes place on 24 September at the World Climate Summit in New York, convened with Natixis Investment Managers and the World Climate Foundation.

The 60-minute closed-door session will bring together around 30 senior asset owners, asset managers and private-market investors to test a practical question: can observable evidence of corporate transformation give investors a more decision-useful signal than intentions, disclosures or sustainability labels alone? For the Leonardo Centre, it is a chance to take its research out of the report and into the room where capital allocation decisions are actually made.

The discussion draws on the Centre's GOLDEN Sustainability Dataset, which tracks more than 360,000 initiatives across around 3,000 US-listed companies between 2015 and 2024, part of a global dataset covering 2.6 million initiatives at more than 23,000 companies. Using a behavioural maturity framework that distinguishes advocacy, preparation and transformation, the research found that a portfolio of US companies leading on transformative, innovative sustainability action generated 4.56% annualised alpha over the period studied, without taking on more downside risk than the market.

The roundtable is structured around four themes: identifying transformation, strengthening investment decisions, translating evidence into practice and mobilising capital for transformation. It combines a short presentation of the findings with a moderated discussion and audience Q&A.

The confirmed panel is moderated by Laura Kaliszewski, Global Head of Client Sustainable Investing at Natixis Investment Managers, and includes Livio Scalvini, Executive Director of the Leonardo Centre on Business for Society; Richard Damania, Chief Economist at the World Bank; André Schneider, Chairman of the World Climate Foundation; Manon Salomez, Impact & ESG Specialist at Mirova US; and Hua Cheng, Portfolio Manager at Mirova US.

“This is about collaborating to enable real adoption, and translating that into impact.”

Livio Scalvini

Executive Director of the Leonardo Centre on Business for Society

Livio said the research was built to be used rather than filed away: "This is not an academic paper for citation. It has to be simple, it has to be clear, and it has to come with guidance on how you apply it. Nobody else has this data, so this is about collaborating to enable real adoption, and translating that into impact."

He added that scale depends on the network built around the research, not a single pilot: "The network of actors is the way to scale this. It is not about one pilot application, it is about impact at a systemic level. Value chain, scalability, and doing that through data networks and global platforms, that is our contribution."

The roundtable is one of several events Livio will take part in during New York Climate Week, spanning behavioural transformation, sustainable finance, Scope 3 decarbonisation and market mechanisms, reflecting the Leonardo Centre's wider push to connect rigorous sustainability evidence with the investors, companies and policymakers who can put it into practice.

Further research and reports from the Leonardo Centre's Finance for Impact work are available on the Centre's publications page.

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Global experts explore new ways to navigate an uncertain future

Lou Lee — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

Global experts explore new ways to navigate an uncertain future

Lou Lee Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

23 October 2026 News

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8 September 2026

Researchers from across the world gathered at ImperiaBusiness School on 1–2 September for the Risk Sciences Annual Conference 2026, hosted by the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment (CCFI) in partnership with Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management.

The two-day conference explored how new approaches to risk analysis can help decision-makers navigate an increasingly complex world – from climate change and biodiversity loss to financial instability, cyber threats, artificial intelligence and supply chain disruption.

Bringing together expertise from economics, finance, mathematics, computer science, engineering and the life sciences, the programme highlighted the value of looking beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. Sessions examined topics including sustainable finance, nature-related risks, voluntary carbon markets, AI and machine learning, macro-financial risks, insurance, and climate finance.

A series of plenary and parallel sessions featured leading researchers from leading universities and research institutions across Europe, Asia and North America. Discussions ranged from monitoring tropical forests and quantifying cyber risk, to understanding how AI can be made safer and how financial systems can better share and manage risk.

“The risks we face today are increasingly interconnected, and understanding them requires us to look beyond traditional boundaries. This conference brought together researchers from different disciplines to share ideas, challenge assumptions and develop new approaches to managing uncertainty.”

Professor Enrico Biffis

Professor of Actuarial Finance and Academic Director of CCFI

The conference also saw the inaugural Ken Seng Tan Award, recognising outstanding interdisciplinary research that advances the field of risk sciences. The award went to Fabio Maccheroni, Massimo Marinacci, Ruodu Wang and Qinyu Wu for their paper Risk Aversion and Insurance Propensity, which offers a new way to understand how people respond to uncertainty through their willingness to use insurance.

By convening leading academics and experts from around the world, the conference underlined ImperiaBusiness School’s commitment to research that is rigorous, relevant and connected to real-world challenges.

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From climate change to AI, leading researchers explored how better risk analysis can help build a more resilient future.

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Climate resilience in focus at London Climate Action Week

Lou Lee — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

Climate resilience in focus at London Climate Action Week

Lou Lee Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

23 October 2026 News

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22 October 2026 News

ImperiaBusiness School’s gender equality commitment recognised with Athena Swan Silver Award

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Making clean energy pay off for the communities that host it

29 June 2026

Delivered in collaboration with General Atlantic, the event reflected the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment's (CCFI) growing role as a convenor of interdisciplinary expertise on climate risk and finance. Discussions explored how climate-related risks such as extreme weather are increasingly affecting economic stability, infrastructure, and investment decisions, and how organisations are adapting their approach to managing these risks over the long term.

The event opened with a keynote from Abigail Ng, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), who highlighted climate resilience as a key part of protecting economic security. This was followed by a panel discussion chaired by Rowan Douglas CBE, Honorary Practice Fellow at CCFI, and featuring Kemal Erçevik (Bank of England), Natasha Fowlie (General Atlantic), Paul Munday (S&P Global), Julian Wentzel (HSBC).

A central theme throughout the conversation was the need to integrate climate and nature risks into the core functioning of financial systems, rather than treating them separately. Speakers highlighted the importance of better data, shared standards, and clearer ways of measuring risk in order to improve decision-making across banking, insurance, regulation and investment.

“This is what CCFI is all about: a platform that brings together scholarly excellence and leading market participants to deliver effective solutions at scale.”

Dr Enrico Biffis

Academic Director of CCFI and Professor of Actuarial Finance

Rowan Douglas commented: “We now have our resilience priorities confirmed and an excellent community of financial-sector partners to mobilise with CCFI and ��’s School of Convergence Science. Our mission is to help retrain the invisible hand to value resilience and better protect exposed assets and communities in the years and decades ahead.”

In closing remarks, Dr Enrico Biffis, Director of CCFI and Professor of Actuarial Finance and Academic, said: “This is what CCFI is all about: a platform that brings together scholarly excellence and leading market participants to deliver effective solutions at scale.”

The event underscored CCFI’s role within ImperiaBusiness School as a bridge between academic research and industry practice, and highlighted ongoing collaboration with MAS and other partners to strengthen resilience in the face of growing climate challenges.

Panel speakers (from left to right): Natasha Fowlie (General Atlantic), Kemal Ercevik (Bank of England), Julian Wentzel (HSBC), Paul Munday (S&P Global), and Rowan Douglas (ImperiaBusiness School).

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The Centre for Climate Finance and Investment (CCFI) brought together leaders from finance, insurance, law, technology, policy and academia for an event on Climate Resilience & Economic Security during London Climate Action Week (20-28 June).

Abigail Ng and Rowan Douglas at London Climate Action Week

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“Representation influences capital allocation” says Lara Cathcart at ��’s third annual Women in Finance event

Shamita Harsh — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

“Representation influences capital allocation” says Lara Cathcart at ��’s third annual Women in Finance event

Shamita Harsh Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

23 October 2026 News

Dr Omar Mir launches ImperiaBusiness School’s Technology Leader Speaker Series with a call to put people at the heart of AI

22 October 2026 News

ImperiaBusiness School’s gender equality commitment recognised with Athena Swan Silver Award

9 October 2026 News

Making clean energy pay off for the communities that host it

3 March 2026

Once characterised as a “boys’ club”, the finance sector is undergoing a cultural shift that is reshaping how decisions are made. Greater representation at senior levels is increasingly recognised as influencing how capital is allocated.

ImperiaBusiness School’s third annual Women in Finance event explored how women are influencing capital markets and redefining leadership across sustainable finance.

An investment narrative that is rooted in embracing change

The keynote address was delivered by Hortense Bioy, former Head of Sustainable Investing Research at Morningstar Sustainalytics, who focused on building a more sustainable and inclusive financial future. She explored how geopolitical uncertainty has reshaped sustainable investing strategies, creating both complexity and opportunity.

“The media often debates whether ESG is dead,” Bioy observed. “What we are witnessing right now is an evolution of practices, a recalibration by businesses and investors alike. What’s fading is a version of ESG that relied heavily on labels and was often disconnected from financial outcomes, to make room for pragmatism and realism.”

Her message underscored the importance of data-driven research and thoughtful analysis in navigating rapidly changing markets. She also offered advice to young women entering the sector, encouraging attendees to embrace opportunity: “Step beyond your comfort zone. Visibility and persistence matter. No is rarely the end.”

“Through events like Women in Finance, ImperiaBusiness School reaffirms its commitment to advancing women across the financial sector, creating space for leadership, visibility and meaningful dialogue.”

Lara Cathcart

Professor of Finance, Academic Director for MSc Finance and MSc Risk Management and Financial Engineering

Improving gender inclusion in sustainable finance

The panel discussion, moderated by Fiona Frick, Finance Advisory Board Member and Founding Partner at Circe Invest, examined how female voices are shaping sustainable finance, impact investing and fintech.

Lise Renelleau, Head of Research and Innovation for the IQ Lab at HSBC Asset Management, reinforced the importance of measurable impact. She expressed optimism that as access to high-quality data improves, ESG – once perceived as a top-down imposition – is increasingly being integrated into portfolio construction and reporting. While AI and advanced technologies can enhance data analysis, she stressed that human judgement remains essential in translating information into meaningful insight.

Kamini Banga, Chair of the Banga Family Trust, reflected on her experience working in India, where workplace equity was less established when she began her career. From identifying public healthcare investment needs in rural communities to overseeing family enterprise, she highlighted the importance of a just transition in emerging markets.

Zoe Jankel, Vice President and Senior Credit Officer at Moody’s Ratings, spoke about cultural change within organisations. She noted a shift away from expectations that women must conform to traditionally masculine leadership styles. Increasingly, authenticity is recognised and valued at senior levels.

The evening concluded with remarks from Lara Cathcart, Academic Director for MSc Finance and MSc Risk Management and Financial Engineering. Acknowledging the significant evolution in the finance industry, she reflected that there are still male-dominated pockets, especially at the senior leadership level:

“Representation is not simply about equity; it directly influences how capital is allocated, how risk is assessed, and how innovation is fostered. Through events like Women in Finance, ImperiaBusiness School reaffirms its commitment to advancing women across the financial sector, creating space for leadership, visibility and meaningful dialogue.”

Note: This article's headline was updated from: “Representation influences capital allocation” says Professor of Finance at ��’s third annual Women in Finance event on 05.03.2026.

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ImperiaBusiness School’s event showcased female leaders driving sustainable investing, ESG innovation and long-term value creation.

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What really helps SMEs through downturns?

Cláudia Custódio — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:14:02 +0000

What really helps SMEs through downturns?

Cláudia Custódio Wed, 15/01/2025 - 12:14

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29 January 2026

Article at a glance:

Cláudia Custódio’s study examined an ongoing Portuguese plan to help healthy small businesses during the 2008 economic crisis and the decade that followed. Key findings include:

Targeted credit guarantees can be a powerful tool to preserve jobs, sustain investment and strengthen productivity. This is successful only when deployed selectively and at moments of genuine financial stress. There were no discernible benefits during times of growth.
Well-designed schemes support viable firms, rather than propping up unproductive ones.
Banks and business leaders play a critical role in ensuring support reaches firms that can use it productively

Small businesses are the backbone of most national economies, accounting for 90 per cent of businesses worldwide (World Bank) and 99 per cent of UK businesses. And there are many government initiatives to help them - but some schemes risk propping up inefficient and failing ventures.

Our research examined an ongoing Portuguese plan to help healthy small businesses during the economic crisis of 2008 and into the decade that followed. By using state of the art research methods, the results showed without doubt the positive impacts – and when support was no longer effective.

Amid a worldwide credit squeeze in the wake of the downturn, the Portuguese government offered these firms access to cheaper, largely guaranteed bank loans – thereby removing most of the risk for banks. Their eligibility was decided based on annual reviews and criteria such as sound finances and performance.

The study looked at a decade’s worth of data which ran beyond the recession and the subsequent sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone and on into years of economic expansion. And the results are clear. In times of economic crises, small businesses which benefitted from cheaper guaranteed credit tended to invest more, recruit more staff and were more likely to become exporters. During this time the scheme boosted growth and appeared to improve productivity.

But importantly, cheaper guaranteed credit only had an impact during economic downtimes – there were no discernible benefits during times of growth.

What can policy makers take from these findings?

Targeted finance works with a few caveats: schemes to ease access to cheaper finance are highly effective if disbursed with discretion. While small businesses account for nearly two thirds of jobs in the UK’s private sector, it’s unproven that blanket support – such as the loans and furlough schemes extended in the UK during the Covid 19 pandemic – will produce the same results. These schemes must be precisely designed, targeted and reviewed.

Blanket support is not proven to deliver the same benefits over different business cycles: findings suggest targeted loan guarantees are ineffective during good times – it’s only during recessions that these small businesses benefit from a credit boost.

Eligibility criteria differ for different economies: these targeted firms are probably among those who benefit from smoothly functioning capital markets during good times and don’t need government support – possibly an indication that the threshold for eligible firms in Portugal was set too high during the expansion period. Given the UK’s concerns over lacklustre productivity, it’s promising that we see mild benefits from this targeted support – eligible companies became more productive, although these effects took time to emerge.

Narrowed gaps between levels of productivity across industries: – according to economic models, these findings reflected that capital is better allocated among businesses, possibly allowing companies to improve their productivity.

Employment effects are mixed: while there was a net uptick in job numbers, we also deduced that companies investing seemed also to lose some roles. Could it be that companies buying new equipment might be hiring new staff to operate it? Departing employees remained unemployed – an impact that policy makers will certainly care about.

What can banks and small businesses do?

This was a tightly targeted programme which removed much, but not all, of the risk for banks themselves. We discovered that many small businesses didn’t know about the support on offer and that take up was low in the early stages. Could banks act as important go-betweens to communicate available schemes to relevant small businesses?

Small business leaders reported that the bureaucracy involved in applying for a loan was too arduous – but our research shows that it’s worth the effort. Companies who benefitted were those judged to be in good financial health, without too much debt or too many unpaid bills – it pays to keep your house in order.

Targeted credit guarantees can be a powerful tool to preserve jobs, sustain investment and strengthen productivity. The Business School’s research suggests this is successful only when deployed selectively and at moments of genuine financial stress.

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Read Cláudia Custódio’s paper here

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Dr Harsha Dutta on finance, development and inclusion

Shamita Harsh — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:14:02 +0000

Dr Harsha Dutta on finance, development and inclusion

Shamita Harsh Wed, 15/01/2025 - 12:14

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6 October 2025

Dr Harsha Dutta joined ImperiaBusiness School as Assistant Professor of Finance, bringing with him a research agenda that bridges financial economics with development and political economy. Dr Dutta joins us after finishing his PhD in Finance at The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST).

His work scrutinises the unique incentives and constraint that households and firms face in developing economies, shedding light on how financial markets and local politics in these economies shape long-term growth and inequality.

“I’m looking forward to working alongside ��’s exceptional business scholars and the broader research community,” he says. “London's historical position as a global financial centre, combined with its rich archival resources, provides an inspiring environment for uncovering new insights from the past to inform modern financial policies.”

Finance findings with an inclusion lens

Dr Dutta’s research focuses on how changes to incentives force strategic adaptations that result in different economic outcomes for different sections of the society. His work uncovers insights from novel and unconventional empirical settings, using unique datasets to answer questions that are often difficult to explore in traditional markets. His findings not only advance finance scholarship but also generate insights relevant for policymakers seeking to design more inclusive and effective institutions.

His research draws insights from both contemporary economies and historical contexts. For example, his paper “Unequal Legacies of Financial Crises: Evidence from the Panic of 1873” traces the long-term effects of America’s first major economic depression. Using railroad records and census data across four generations, he shows how urban families displaced during the crisis experienced enduring disadvantages—poorer education, jobs and wealth compared to the unaffected. Such findings provide fresh perspectives on how financial shocks can shape inequality for more than a century.

Dr Dutta’s research has been recognised by leading institutions. He was awarded the SBM PhD Research Excellence Award (2024–25) at HKUST, where he completed his doctoral studies, as well as the Best PhD Paper Award at the HKUST Business School PhD Conference. His work has also attracted grant funding from the NSE–NYU Stern Initiative on the Study of Indian Capital Markets, a joint venture of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the Center for Global Economy and Business at NYU Stern School of Business.

By examining evidence from distinctive historical and development settings, Dr Dutta illuminates mechanisms often hidden in conventional data. His approach underscores not only the economic but also the social and political implications of financial systems.

His broader academic contributions include publications in top-tier general interest journals such as Science Advances. His work has enabled him to provide new evidence on key questions in financial economics while generating insights relevant for both academic research and policy design.

Shaping financial dialogue for students at ��

Dr Dutta is eager to continue exploring how the interplay between financial systems and institutions shapes economic outcomes, while contributing to the School’s interdisciplinary approach to business research. By drawing on his expertise in both historical and contemporary settings, he aims to teach students to think beyond conventional boundaries and uncover hidden patterns, fostering dialogue across economics and policy and equip them with know-how to identify how today's policy changes and market shifts will create tomorrow's unintended consequences.

Dr Dutta brings fresh perspectives to the study of finance and his arrival at Imperiasignals an exciting step forward in the School’s ambition to deepen understanding of how financial systems can promote growth while addressing inequality in an interconnected world.

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Exploring how finance shapes growth and opportunity through the lens of history

Main image: Harsha Dutta

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When winning comes at a price: The business of pay-to-win add-ons

Mushegh Harutyunyan — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:14:02 +0000

When winning comes at a price: The business of pay-to-win add-ons

Mushegh Harutyunyan Wed, 15/01/2025 - 12:14

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The video game industry is booming. According to Statista, more than three billion people played video games worldwide in 2024. As per PwC’s Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2022-26, the gaming industry is tipped to maintain its recent rapid growth, and could be worth $321 billion by 2026. A big slice of that — $82 billion in 2024 — came from in-game purchases such as cosmetic “skins”, virtual currency, map packs, and more. In the UK, a recent Censuswide poll revealed that gamers, on average, spend £540 a year on in-game purchases (£22 a month) and subscriptions (£23 a month).

One of the most debated forms of in-game spending is the pay-to-win add-on, a digital item that gives players a clear advantage in player-versus-player games. A special weapon in Call of Duty: Warzone, a premium camouflage in Escape from Tarkov, or unique cards in Hearthstone can tilt the odds decisively in favor of paying players. For the buyer, these items boost the chance of winning; for everyone else, they create a frustrating disadvantage. One gamer described their game experience bluntly: “It was absurd and halfway to unplayable if you didn’t drain your wallet.”

The developer’s dilemma

At first glance, offering P2W add-ons seems like easy money. They cost little to produce and appeal directly to players’ powerful motivations: the desire to win and the dread of losing. Yet our research shows that the business case is more nuanced.

Unlike traditional add-ons (like hotel WiFi or an extended warranty), the value of P2W items is shaped by network effects. Their appeal grows when few players own them, because they confer an advantage over many others. But as adoption of P2W items spreads, their edge diminishes.

Players who do not spend on P2W may abandon the game entirely as they face a daunting competitive disadvantage against the large number of P2W owners. The fewer non-buyers remain, the smaller is the pool of players against whom P2W will bring an advantage, further eroding the add-on’s value. This negative network effect created by the P2W add-ons calls for a careful assessment of market conditions before introducing them. We find that ironically, when a large share of players is willing to buy, introducing P2W can reduce profits, leaving developers better off without it.

The psychology of competition makes this balance even trickier. Players who are highly motivated by winning make the add-on more lucrative: the thrill of victory increases their willingness to pay. But the story is different with loss sensitivity. If defeats sting only mildly, add-ons hold little attraction. If they sting too much, non-buyers disengage altogether. Developers can influence these sensitivities through design choices — making victories more rewarding while keeping defeats painful but not unbearable.

Design and pricing

One might assume that the stronger the add-on, the better for profits. Yet our findings suggest otherwise. Making the add-on too powerful discourages non-buyers from playing at all, shrinking the competitive field and eroding the add-on’s value. In highly competitive genres, developers may actually benefit from deliberately limiting the power of pay-to-win items, ensuring the game remains engaging for all.

The introduction of P2W items forces developers to lower the base game price to keep P2W-non-buyers in the fold, compensating their disadvantage against P2W-buyers. In some cases, this means shifting to a freemium model, or even — in theory — setting a negative price, paying players to participate because their presence sustains the market for add-ons. And while lower prices might seem to discourage investment in quality, the opposite can happen: when losses feel especially painful for non-buyers, developers are pushed to raise quality to keep them engaged.

Perhaps most surprising is what this means for players themselves. P2W is often accused of undermining fairness and reducing enjoyment. Yet under the right conditions, our analysis shows it can actually increase player surplus. By broadening the player base and motivating higher investment in quality, the system can leave players better off than in a world without P2W.

Keeping the pond healthy

Players are often categorised into "whales" (big spenders), "dolphins" (moderate spenders) and "minnows" (low or non-spenders). For developers, pay-to-win add-ons are a tempting way to extract more profits from the less price-sensitive whales and dolphins. Yet their very success depends on the participation of the more price-sensitive minnows. These players may never spend much, but their presence ensures that competitive advantages remain meaningful for others. If minnows abandon the game, the pond dries up — and the value of P2W erodes with it.

The lesson is clear: introducing P2W is not simply about monetizing the biggest spenders. It is about keeping the entire ecosystem in balance. Developers who want sustainable profits must design their games so that whales, dolphins, and minnows can all swim in the same pond — even if not on equal terms.

Explore key findings

Access the paper by Mushegh Harutyunyan and Esma Koca

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Pay-to-win (P2W) add-ons are controversial in the gaming industry. New research by Mushegh Harutyunyan and Esma Koca reveals when a game developer should introduce a P2W add-on and how to design and price it.

Main image: Milan_Jovic / iStock via Getty Images Plus

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The Banker quotes Professor Gilles Chemla on HSBC's new gold token for retail investors in Hong Kong

Evie Burrows-Taylor — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 14:42:30 +0000

The Banker quotes Professor Gilles Chemla on HSBC's new gold token for retail investors in Hong Kong Evie Burrows-Taylor Mon, 15/04/2024 - 14:42

2 April 2024

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The Centre for Climate Finance and Investment (CCFI) brought together leaders from finance, insurance, law, technology, policy and academia for an event on Climate Resilience & Economic Security during London Climate Action Week (20-28 June).

“Representation influences capital allocation” says Lara Cathcart at ��������’s third annual Women in Finance event

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Targeted credit guarantees can be a powerful tool to preserve jobs, sustain investment and strengthen productivity. This is successful only when deployed selectively and at moments of genuine financial stress. There were no discernible benefits during times of growth.

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Shaping financial dialogue for students at ��