Miscellaneous
Did you ever wonder if there was a purpose with the financial market? Sasja Beslik, Head of Sustainable Finance at Nordea, gives you some answers. This weeks episode is about the financial market in response to environmental challenges. No, that was/is not the purpose of the Market, but they are connected. And why doesn't people take to the streets to protest against all the strange and uncomfortable situations we are facing? Part of the answer: The middle class ain't to shaken yet. They see the neon-signs and hear the thunder. But as long as they can go to the mall, get a steak, play with their new smartphone and plan for next vacation, they aren't going to raise their voice. Do they even know how to any longer? Countries are closing their borders, Donald Trump has been elected to run and represent the remaining superpower in the world, Great Britain are divorcing EU and other countries seem to follow the road and rhetoric of protectionism and nationalism. Have we forgotten what our grandparents died for when they fought for freedom and democracy. And on top of that we have global warming with climate change, melting ice in the Arctic, sea level rise, droughts and floodings, air pollution, extinction of species, degradation of ecosystem services, ecocide and more. What does the financial market, or rather the people who make up "The Market", think about that? You will have to listen yourself in order to decide if Sasjas answers make you calm or not. He can be rather bold and harsh to the finance sector and capitalism. Spoiler: "It might hit my neighbour, but not me". His employer, Nordea, the largest bank in the Nordic region and one of the ten largest in Europe, claim that Sasja to be one of Sweden’s foremost experts on finance and sustainability. And for sure he has been rewarded, for instance with The Order of the Seraphim by the Swedish king for ”extraordinary efforts in the field of finance and sustainability”. Sasja Beslik fled from Bosnia to Sweden when he was 20 to avoid being drawn into the war in the former Yugoslavia. To most swedes that war may feel rather distant today, but as you will here in the podcast, experiences from armed conflicts is very present in Sasjas mind. Sasja is curious, worried and positive at the same time. Listen to the pod. /Martin And please give us, the podcast and the episode, your rating here at the site and on iTunes, Facebook and other places where you find us.