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Kaiane Ibarra

5955 Posts
What trends are emerging in carbon capture for hard-to-abate industries?

Trends in carbon capture addressing industrial emissions complexity

Hard-to-abate sectors like cement, steel, chemicals, refining, and heavy transport generate a significant portion of worldwide industrial emissions. High-temperature heat, chemical reactions, or fossil-derived inputs underpin these industries, making direct electrification alone insufficient for their replacement. With net-zero goals becoming more stringent, carbon capture has stepped forward as a pivotal mechanism for handling greenhouse gases that evade elimination via efficiency gains or alternative fuels.Recent years have seen a shift from pilot-scale experimentation toward commercially oriented deployment. The trends below highlight how carbon capture is evolving to meet industrial, economic, and regulatory realities.From Single-Plant Projects to Industrial HubsOne of the primary…
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Why is private credit attracting more institutional and retail capital?

The growing role of private credit in institutional and retail portfolios

Private credit refers to non-bank lending where capital is provided directly to companies, often through private funds, rather than through public debt markets or traditional banks. Over the past decade, this asset class has moved from a niche strategy to a core allocation for many institutional investors and, increasingly, for retail investors as well. The surge in interest is not driven by a single factor but by a combination of structural changes in financial markets, evolving investor needs, and the search for resilient income.The Search for Yield in a Low-Return WorldOne of the strongest drivers behind private credit’s popularity is…
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Switzerland: CSR cases advancing responsible finance and corporate transparency

Swiss financial sector’s response to public pressure on corporate responsibility

Switzerland’s global financial and commodity centers have long been engines of wealth management, banking, insurance and trading. Over the past two decades, public pressure, regulatory shifts and high-profile crises have pushed Swiss corporations and financial institutions toward greater corporate social responsibility (CSR), more robust environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, and improved transparency. This article maps the regulatory context, highlights emblematic corporate cases and institutional responses, and extracts lessons for responsible finance in Switzerland and beyond.Regulatory and international context shaping Swiss CSRGlobal standards as anchors. Swiss companies increasingly align reporting and due diligence with the UN Guiding Principles on Business…
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How are perovskite solar cells moving closer to commercial scale?

How do efficiency gains increase commercial interest in perovskite solar cells?

Perovskite solar cells are a class of photovoltaic devices that employ a perovskite-structured compound as their light-harvesting layer. Throughout the past ten years, these systems have evolved from experimental laboratory novelties into major players within the worldwide solar industry. Their attractiveness stems from a blend of high power conversion efficiency, low manufacturing cost, and design flexibility. Laboratory efficiencies have surged swiftly, moving from under 4 percent during the early 2010s to exceeding 26 percent for single-junction cells, and climbing past 33 percent in tandem setups paired with silicon.This rapid pace of advancement is totally unprecedented within the solar energy sector,…
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