In Focus

Investing in African Mining Indaba is a staple in the mining industry's calendar. This year over 6,500 attendees came together to discuss and explore the latest trends and developments in Africa's mineral industry. With ESG, digitization, diversity, transparency, decarbonisation and technology being high on the agenda , one thing was clear throughout: the time for African mining is now.   Join Shawn Duthie and other experts from our Johannesburg, Paris, and Americas office as they discuss the key themes from this year's Mining Indaba, how these key themes may transpire at the 2023 Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), specific countries to watch, and what risks and opportunities companies can expect to face in the year ahead. 

Pakistan is expected to hold general elections later this year, but the country is also grappling with serious economic challenges and mounting security threats. Join Control Risks senior analyst Arsla Jawaid and Chris Torrens, Partner as they discuss how Pakistan has been drawing on key strategic bilateral relationships ahead of its 2023 elections – specifically with China, which is envisioning a greater role for itself in the region.

In the absence of easily accessible public record information, employing unique intelligence-gathering techniques to support disputes and recovery efforts can unlock the information needed to make informed decisions and shape effective legal strategies.  This is particularly true when conducting investigations or seeking enforcement in opaque jurisdictions, such as many Middle Eastern countries, where intelligence contributes to the success of legal strategies. Join Courtenay Smith, Monaf Hatam and Kanupriya Jain for a conversation as they discuss utilising intelligence techniques during investigations in support of legal disputes, the different intelligence gathering techniques, how they are used and when they are needed.  Find out more about the support we can offer your organisation.

The Africa Risk-Reward Index -- produced jointly by Control Risks and Oxford Economics Africa -- is an authoritative guide for policy makers, business leaders and investors, that illustrates the evolution of the investment landscape in major African markets and provides a grounded, longer-term outlook of key trends shaping investment in these economies. In an era of exacerbated global uncertainty and geopolitical change, Africa's role with the world is being redefined. With the challenges this will present will also come significant opportunities for African countries and investors. Seizing them will be more imperative now than ever.  Join Robert Hutchinson, Partner for our East Africa region for a discussion about the Index with Patricia Rodrigues, a Senior Analyst for Africa; Vincent Rouget, an Associate Director who leads Control Risks analyst team for Africa; Zainab Animashaun, Senior Analyst; Seamus Duggan, Head of Tactical Intelligence; and Jacques Nel, head of Macro at Oxford Economics Africa, the Africa-focused subsidiary of our partners, Oxford Economics.   

Since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, there have been drastic changes to the cyber threat landscape, including a sharp increase in ransomware attacks. In this episode of In Focus, Control Risks Partner Nicolas Reys talks with experts Joe Buckley and Mark Fawcett about these changes, how they might develop and what this means for organisations preparing for and responding to ransomware attacks.

Join Control Risks analyst Marisa Lourenço and Gerrit Van Rooyen from Oxford Economics Africa as they discuss the outlook for Angola's economy in 2022 and how Angola managed to pull itself back from the edge of a fiscal cliff. They also discuss lessons for other countries in the region with mounting debt loads and if Angola's government can still produce enough of its most precious commodity: oil.  

What do the changing security dynamics in the Sahel mean for business? Join Director Anna Walker for a conversation with Control Risks experts Oulimata Soumaré and Michael Barty about trends in militant and kidnapping activity in the Sahel and the operational implications for businesses operating in the region.  For more information on how we're helping our clients around the world, visit controlrisks.com.  

The political, economic and security landscape of Libya is changing. A period of relative stability, large oil reserves and Libya's strategic positioning next to Europe have led a considerable number of international companies to reassess doing business in the country. But significant challenges remain that companies need to prepare for. Join Partner Tom Griffin for a discussion with Control Risks experts Sherif El-Ashmawy, Andrew Lipinski and Gillan McNay about how companies can mitigate some of the key risks at play in Libya.  For more information on how we're helping our clients around the world, visit controlrisks.com.

The Africa Risk-Reward Index -- produced jointly by Control Risks and Oxford Economics Africa -- is an authoritative guide for policy makers, business leaders and investors, that illustrates the evolution of the investment landscape in major African markets and provides a grounded, longer-term outlook of key trends shaping investment in these economies. Africa is still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is no longer all-consuming. Glimpses of the post-pandemic landscape are coming into view, and other issues are deserving of attention. Join Wayne Malgas, Partner for our South Africa region for a discussion about the Index with Barnaby Fletcher, an Associate Director who leads Control Risks analyst team for East and Southern Africa; Seamus Duggan, an Associate Director with a specialism in tactical security; and Jacques Nel, head of Macro at Oxford Economics Africa, the Africa-focused subsidiary of our partners, Oxford Economics. 

FFP was originally established by UEFA a decade ago to tackle overspending at European clubs and in an attempt to curb the pursuit of short-term success at the expense of long-term financial damage. Join Control Risks Partner Jonathan Brown and Jason Shardlow-Wrest, Managing Associate in Dispute Resolution at Linklaters, for an exploration of Financial Fair Play, looking at its origination and more recent evolution in response to COVID-19. They also consider the future of FFP amidst recent procedural changes and public statements from UEFA that the rules are currently being reviewed and will be overhauled with new regulations coming into play potentially as soon as next year.

The polls closed on 18 June, with conservative figure Ebrahim Raisi securing a landslide and ending reformist President Hassan Rowhani's eight-year rule. Join Henry Smith for a conversation with Control Risks in-house expert Nicki Siamaki, Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, the founder and CEO of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation and Dr. Farid Sigari-Majd, Partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer where they discuss the impact Raisi will have on the ongoing negotiations with the US, Iran's sanctions environment in the coming year and challenges and opportunities that foreign businesses will be presented with in Iran's market.

Malaysia's tumultuous politics has left many asking about the country's political and economic outlook in the coming months. Dane Chamorro, Partner, discusses with Harrison Cheng, Associate Director and Lead Analyst for Malaysia, about the potential of a political coup in Malaysia, the handling of the Covid-19 situation by the government and its impact on the country's economy, the human rights allegations in certain sectors in Malaysia and how companies need to manage such reputational risks in their supply chains, as well as his prediction of the political situation until the end of the year. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts and more content can be found www.controlrisks.com. 

Beijing's probe into Didi Global has sent shockwaves through investors and multinationals with operations in or exposure to China. Many are left wondering if this is just good data policy poorly executed or a more calculated step to undermine the U.S. financial system and its regulators. Carly Ramsey, Head of Global Risk Analysis for Greater China and Yifei Zhang, General Manager, North China discuss recent events and how they might be viewed in the context of China's domestic policy and regulatory developments. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts and more content can be found www.controlrisks.com. 

Join Control Risks' Partner Steve Wilford for a conversation about environmental, social and governance (ESG) in Asia with Reema Bhattacharya, Rosie Hawes and John Bray. Once primarily a reputational issue for business, ESG is now an increasingly integral part of any investment consideration. But what does ‘real ESG' look like? How can investors truly get a feel for the ESG credentials of a target?   Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts and more content can be found www.controlrisks.com. 

South Asia has been hard hit by a second wave of COVID-19 infections over the past few months, with India alone registering at least 150,000 fatalities since April 2021. As the region slowly recovers from the devastating public health crisis, Join Amit Narayan, Partner & Head of India and South Asia and Hemant Shivakumar, Senior Analyst to discuss the prospects and challenges for South Asia's post-pandemic economic recovery. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts and more content can be found www.controlrisks.com. 

As the only ASEAN economy to achieve positive economic growth in 2020, Vietnam's potential as an investment destination is evident. However, Vietnam's political and business environment remains dauntingly opaque and complex to many foreign businesses and investors. Listen to our panel of Vietnam experts, Stephen Norris, Linh Nguyen and Edward Blenk, as they discuss the changing dynamics of Vietnam's relationships with the US and China, the challenges of investing and operating in Vietnam, and legislation developments that could impact the ease of doing business there. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Since Myanmar's Tatmadaw (military) overthrew the civilian government and took power on 1 February, a civil disobedience movement has rapidly grown. This has seen civil servants and workers in all walks of life, such as banking personnel and medical workers, going on strike, causing significant disruption in daily lives. Weeks of demonstrations and the ensuing military crackdown have roiled the country.  Join Dane Chamorro for a conversation with Dereck Aw, Senior Analyst at Control Risks about the preliminary and potential impact of the tumultuous past month on duty of care, business continuity and exposure to political and external communications risks for foreign businesses in Myanmar. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts.

6 months after the new job creation law was passed, what progress has been made and what does it mean for business? Join Control Risks' Partner Dane Chamorro and Lead Analyst for Indonesia Achmad Sukarsono to learn more. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, and Jonathan Brown, Partner, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Nick Ilife, Integrity Intelligence Manager at Stats Perform, the leading sports data and analytics company. They chat about the increasing prevalence of match fixing in sport and how Stats Perform uses data analytics and AI to monitor millions of sporting events globally in real time each year.

Join Control Risks' Partner Dane Chamorro, as he discusses with Andrew Gilholm, Principal and Director of the analysis practice for Greater China and North Asia, the recent annual session of China's National People's Congress, China's 14th Five-Year Plan and what it means for business. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Jonathan Brown, Partner, and Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Thomas Sandgaard, founder and CEO of Zynex Inc. In September 2020, right in the midst of the pandemic, Thomas acquired Charlton Athletic FC which in his own words was “days away from administration.” Thomas talks us through the transferrable skills and lessons learned through his career that he considers most helpful in order to run Charlton successfully. He also shares with us some of the key challenges associated with football club acquisition based on in his journey so far.

Join Control Risks experts Maria Knapp, Emily Morgan and Clare Morton for a discussion about how ESG factors impact on supply chain and third party risk management programmes. What are the drivers that will define what ‘good' looks like? What are companies already doing? And what are some of the practical considerations for integrating ESG into your third party risk diligence programme?

Join Control Risks' Partner Dane Chamorro, as he discusses the digital risk in Asia with Jim Fitzsimmons, Principal in the Cyber Security Consulting team responsible for managing and delivering complex security projects. He is based in Singapore office.  Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Control Risks' Partner Dane Chamorro, as he discusses geopolitics and geoeconomic in Asia supply chain with Andrew Gilholm, Principal and Director of the analysis practice for Greater China and North Asia and Reema Bhattacharya, Senior Analyst based in Control Risks' Singapore office. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Join Jonathan Brown, Partner, and Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Kieran Maguire, author of The Price of Football and co-host of the popular podcast of the same name. They chat about some of the biggest financial issues facing football today, particularly the emerging role of private equity in the sport. 

Join Control Risks experts Graham Griffiths, Jonathan Wood and Patrick Osgood for a discussion about how a Biden administration will likely approach the Middle East and North Africa as a tumultuous period in US foreign policy in the region comes to a close.   

Join Control Risks Analysts Patricia Rodrigues, Marisa Lourenço, and Valentin Robiliard for a discussion about how the increase in borrowing and capital spending by African governments in recent years has led to growing public debt burden that has only been exacerbated by economic fallout from Covid-19.

Join Jonathan Brown, Partner, and Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Kieran Maguire, author of The Price of Football and co-host of the popular podcast of the same name. They discuss some of the biggest financial challenges facing football teams today, particularly in light of uncertainties related to Covid-19.

Join Control Risks' Partner Dane Chamorro, as he discusses China's plan for self-sufficiency in technology with Carly Ramsey, Control Risks' head of political and regulatory risk for Greater China and North Asia and Yuanxin Liao, Analyst, both based in Shanghai. Stay updated with new episodes by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts.   

The government in Indonesia has just passed a controversial jobs creation bill, the “Omnibus Law”, which has sparked widespread demonstrations in the capital Jakarta. Join Control Risks' Partner, Dane Chamorro, for a discussion with Achmad Sukarsono, Lead Senior Analyst for Indonesia, as they talk about what is happening on the ground and what the new bill means for the country. Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Imran Khan came to power in Pakistan in 2018 with a narrative of hope and change, but two years later the country is facing ongoing political and economic crises. Join Control Risks experts Graham Griffiths and Arsla Jawaid for a close analysis of the situation and what this all means for business.   

Join Jonathan Brown, Partner, and Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Ashley Ehlert, the Legal Director for the International Ice Hockey Federation. They discuss the key challenges associated with anti-doping regulations and controls, and also explore some of the less obvious issues that prevention and detection can entail.

Join Jonathan Brown, Partner, and Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Niels Lindholm, who became first Ethical Compliance Officer to join World Athletics (formerly the IAAF) in 2018. They discuss the wide-ranging reforms which were put in place at World Athletics to combat corruption risk at the organisation, following a well-publicised scandal that emerged earlier in the decade. Niels provides us with insight into World Athletics' journey and discusses how compliance professionals and governance and integrity programmes can work together to build trust in a global sports organisation. 

Since protests last October forced then prime minister Saad al-Hariri to resign, Lebanon has suffered from a spiraling economic and political crisis. Join Control Risks experts Graham Griffiths, Ashley Halabi and Andrew Freeman for a discussion the ramifications of these crises. 

Join Control Risks' Partner, Dane Chamorro, for a discussion with Harrison Cheng, Associate Director, about the current risk landscape for investors in Thailand. Its economy will shrink at least 8% this year, and its government faces almost daily protests in Bangkok. Under these circumstances, is Thailand really a great place to put new foreign investment? Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

What are the implications of Covid-19 on private market investors? Join Control Risks experts Charlie Warren, Henry Smith and John Seddon for a discussion about the investment climate created by the pandemic, its challenges as well as its opportunities.  Charlie Warren is a Partner based in our Singapore office and head of Control Risks' business intelligence practice for Southeast Asia, Henry Smith is a Partner based in our London office head of Control Risks' business intelligence and due diligence practice in EMEA, and John Seddon is a Principal responsible for the company's business in Canada.  Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Covid-19 has set back the economic progress achieved across Africa in recent years, but this should not deter investors. Join Tom Griffin, Barnaby Fletcher, Bukola Bolarinwa and Jacques Nel for a look at some of the key insights from the 2020 African Risk Reward Index, produced jointly by Control Risks and Oxford Economics. The African Risk Reward Index is an authoritative guide for policymakers, business leaders and investors that illustrates the evolution of the investment landscape in major African markets and provides a grounded, longer-term outlook of key trends shaping investment in these economies.  Tom Griffin is Partner for our Middle East and Africa region, Barnaby Fletcher leads our analyst team for East and Southern Africa, Bukola Bolarinwa is an analyst specializing in West Africa, and Jacques Nel joins from NKC African Economics, the Africa focused subsidiary of Oxford Economics, where he is Head of Macro.  Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Jonathan Brown, Partner, and Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Benoît Pasquier, sports lawyer, CAS Arbitrator and former General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). They chat about the highlights of Benoît's unique career in sport and some of the challenges he faced at the AFC, as well as how football has evolved over the past decade and how that  has required a change in attitude to governance and integrity.  Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Join Jonathan Brown, Partner, and Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Jonny Gray, CEO of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), the anti-corruption body for all professional tennis played around the world. They chat about the changes taking place at the TIU following a review published in December 2018, which included over 200 recommendations aimed primarily at preventing and sanctioning corruption in response to an increase in online betting that has recharged incentives for foul play in sport.  Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Join Jonathan Brown, Partner, and Alecia Futerman, Associate Director, from Control Risks' forensics team for a discussion with Nick Iliffe, head of intelligence at Stats Perform, Control Risks' official partner for the delivery of sports integrity solutions. They chat about the rise of esports and how experts monitor and address issues around integrity, governance, and safeguarding. Nick also comments on esports' viability as an Olympic sport, and how Covid-19 has affected esports, though not in the way you might think.  Subscribe wherever you listen to our podcasts.   

Join Control Risks' Partner, Dane Chamorro, for discussion with Harrison Cheng, Associate Director in our Southeast Asia political analysis team, about the impact of political opposition in Singapore and Malaysia. In the recent general election in Singapore, the opposition Workers' Party took a record number of seats, and Singapore's northern neighbor, Malaysia, has had a series of electoral upsets over the last couple of years that have resulted in a fairly unstable ruling coalition. As a likely beneficiary of global supply chain restructuring, how wary should investors be of potential changes in this operating environment? Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Control Risks experts Barnaby Fletcher, Mikolaj Judson and Oulimata Soumaré for a close look at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Africa's oil producers. Traditional producers like Nigeria, Angola and Algeria are expected to see some of the deepest recessions this year, but the critical question is what the longer term effects will be, both for the oil and gas industry and for economies across the region. Barnaby Fletcher leads our analyst team for East and Southern Africa, Mikolaj Judson is an analyst based in our Lagos office and Oulimata Soumaré is a researcher based in our Dakar office.  

Join Federico Saleri for a discussion about the increasing threat of ransomware attacks and the unprecedented alignment of threat actors' capability and intent. Federico Saleri is a Consultant and a member of the Online Solutions team, Joseph Buckley is the Senior Analyst leading Control Risks' cyber threat intelligence analysis activities in London, Felix Manig is an Associate Analyst in Control Risks' global cyber threat intelligence team in London and Mark Fawcett is is a Senior Consultant in Control Risks' cyber security team and is responsible for running the cyber incident response services across Europe and Africa. Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Control Risks experts Tom Griffin, Joanna Turner and Clara Bonnor for a close look at how environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have become more pressing in Africa as a result of COVID-19 and how development finance institutions (DFIs) will play a critical role in supporting companies to prioritise these challenges. Both Joanna and Clara work with a number of our DFI clients across Africa and have been talking to a number of them about ESG priorities and solutions. Tom Griffin is Partner for our Middle East and Africa region, Joanna Turner is our Geomarket head for East Africa and a Partner in our consulting business, and Clara Bonnor is a consultant in our Business Intelligence practice in Africa. Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Barnaby Fletcher, Control Risks' lead analyst for Southern Africa, speaks with Vincent Rouget and Tim Cox, two of our leads on West and Central Africa, to discuss the developing security risks amid the Covid-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. This is part of a series exploring the impact of COVID-19 on this dynamic, but vulnerable, region.

Barnaby Fletcher, Control Risks' lead analyst for Southern Africa, speaks with Halima Aden and Rose Mumanya, two of our researchers based in Nairobi, to discuss the growing threat of food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. This is part of a regular series of podcasts exploring the impact of COVID-19 on this dynamic, but vulnerable, region.

Vincent Rouget, our lead on West and Central Africa, and Clare Morton, an associate director in our business intelligence focused on Africa, discuss the effect that the uncertainty created by COVID-19 is having on investors and lenders in Africa, both in the short term and the longer term.

Barnaby Fletcher, Control Risks' lead analyst for Southern Africa, and Bukola Bolarinwa, one of our Africa analysts, discuss the perils of disinformation in Africa, how it spreads and what governments are doing to combat it. This is the second in a series of podcasts exploring the impact of COVID-19 on this dynamic, but vulnerable, region.

Barnaby Fletcher, Control Risks' lead analyst for Southern Africa and Vincent Rouget, our lead on West and Central Africa discuss the key issues facing organisations operating in sub-Saharan Africa as lockdowns, border closures and bans take effect. This is the first in a series of podcasts exploring the impact of COVID-19 on this dynamic, but vulnerable, region.

Kidnap and extortion have long been a feature of South Africa's challenging criminal environment. Some recent high-profile kidnap cases have pushed the issue up the corporate security agenda. In this podcast, Control Risks special risks analyst, Sebastian Boe discussses the current state of play.