Author Archives: Usman Hayat, CFA
Usman Hayat, CFA, writes about sustainable, responsible, and impact investing and Islamic finance. He is the lead author of "Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues in Investing: A Guide for Investment Professionals;" the literature review, "Islamic Finance: Ethics, Concepts, Practice;" and the research report "Sustainable, Responsible, and Impact Investing and Islamic Finance: Similarities and Differences." He is interested in online learning and has directed three e-courses for CFA Institute: "ESG-100," "Islamic Finance Quiz," and "Residual Income Equity Valuation." The other topics he writes about are macroeconomics and behavioral finance. He has experience working in securities regulation and as an independent consultant. His qualifications include the CFA charter, the FRM designation, an MBA, and an MA in development economics. He has served as a content director at CFA Institute. He is a former executive director at the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and former CEO of the Audit Oversight Board (Pakistan). His personal interests include reading and hiking.Crowdfunding Needs Regulation to Scale Up
The young and rapidly evolving field of crowdfunding is democratizing investing like never before, making finance — donations, debt, equity — available where it wasn’t previously. But to scale up, regulations need to be adopted, says Lars Kroijer. Read More
Shareholder Value Maximization: The World’s Dumbest Idea?
James Montier, a member of GMO’s asset allocation team, closes the 2014 European Investment Conference with the argument that shareholder value maximization is “a bad idea” and has contributed to major economic and social problems of short-termism and rising inequality. Read More
Geopolitics and Economics: Markets and Analysts Must Connect the Dots
Geopolitical conflicts are connected to economic pressures, said Philippa Malmgren, president and founder of DRPM Group, at the 2014 European Investment Conference. However, Malmgren argued, financial analysts are largely unable to analyse this connection and financial markets fail to respond. Read More
Fear of Investing in Africa Is Losing You Money
Africa has 15% of the world’s population but controls less than 3% of global GDP. A trio of investment pros make the case that as Africa catches up opportunities will abound for investors. Read More
Survey: CFA Institute Members Concerned about Changing Monetary Policy
Central bank intervention and its effects on financial markets were topics of major concern for the financial professionals who responded to the survey conducted by CFA Institute for members in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region in October 2013. Read More
Enhanced ESG Disclosure and Long-Term Investing in Europe (Video)
Steve Waygood, chief responsible investment officer at Aviva Investors, explains the European Commission’s adoption of a proposal to enhance business transparency on environmental and social issues and the implications for long-term investing. Read More
Don’t Sell Economic Stability to Buy Economic Growth, Warns Tomáš Sedláček
Tomáš Sedláček, chief macroeconomic strategist at CSOB Bank, believes that our problem is not lack of growth but too much of it. He stated, “It is like owning a car that explodes when it stops.” Read More
How to Find Elusive Happiness at Work
Alexander Kjerulf, chief happiness officer at Woohoo Inc., argues that happiness at work is not only good for employees but also good for profitability. He believes happiness is created by focusing on results, recognition, and relationships. Read More
Nkosana Moyo: The Perceived Risks of Africa Create Investment Opportunities
The founder and executive chairman of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) believes perceived risks of investing in Africa are higher than the actual risks and that attractive investment opportunities can arise from the ‘negatives’ associated with Africa. Read More
Alexander Kjerulf: How Do You Pursue Happiness at Work?
At our upcoming Fifth Annual European Investment Conference, the Chief Happiness Officer of Woohoo inc. will address this question by providing investment professionals with his insights into the topic from empirical research and anecdotal evidence. Read More
