News

Former European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker warned that Europe risks losing its remaining seats in the Group of Seven as the continent’s economic weight continues to decline in a rapidly shifting global order.

The sharp rise in the Swiss franc following U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran has brought an issue back into focus that many believed had been settled: negative interest rates in Switzerland.

Markets enter the week facing not simply another geopolitical headline, but the prospect of a structural energy repricing. After US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and Tehran retaliated across the region, investors are bracing for a sharp adjustment in oil and gas markets when trading resumes. The issue is no longer whether risk premia rise, but how disruptive and persistent they may become. “The implications for energy markets and commodities, especially for crude oil and LNG flows, are asymmetric and could trigger severe market reactions very soon,” said Cyril Widdershoven, a senior advisor at Blue Water Strategies.

Donald Trump’s return to the Davos stage on Wednesday has sharpened investor focus on Europe’s exposure to a world in which geopolitics is once again shaping trade, security and capital allocation. “Everything has changed,” said Sabrina Khanniche, senior economist at Pictet.

With the subpoena of Jerome Powell, political pressure on the Federal Reserve has taken on a legal dimension. The timing is striking: Powell’s term still has months to run, yet the White House is pressing ahead now. The stakes extend well beyond the fate of the Fed chair himself.

When United States forces seized President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, the political shock was immediate. The market reaction was not. Oil prices barely moved, investors stayed largely on the sidelines and attention quickly shifted from what had happened in Caracas to what it might reveal about how Washington now intends to wield power beyond its borders.

Interest in private banking was high last year among Investment Officer’s Belgian readers. The overview of the ten most read articles of 2025 in Belgium shows that readers were primarily interested in people, organization and the strategic challenges facing the sector.

Eight of the fifteen most read Investment Officer Netherlands articles in 2025 focus on developments at, and the ambitions of, the major Dutch private banks: ABN Amro MeesPierson, Rabobank, Van Lanschot Kempen, ING and InsingerGilissen.

Blackfin Capital Partners will become the majority shareholder of Arendt Investor Services in a deal valued at 500 million dollars that is aimed at accelerating the Luxembourg firm’s growth across Europe.

The United States’ pullback from COP30 raised fears of stalled momentum in climate finance. Instead, the summit in Belém, Brazil, this week signaled a shift in how governments and financial institutions approach nature as a core pillar of climate policy.