All articles by Alexander Love

Technology in financial services: where’s the return?

Financial institutions have spent heavily on emerging technology, without always thinking too hard of when or how the payback will arrive. For investors, M&A dealmakers and corporate strategists, the task is to establish which projects can generate revenue or reduce operating costs, where spending is essential to contain risk and which technologies warrant an early investment despite a distant prospect of returns.

Financials M&A: mega-deals dominate

Financial services M&A activity rose in 2025: worldwide aggregate deal value jumped 38% year-on-year while the number of announced deals was 6% higher. Mega-deals did most of the work. The focus of growth was Europe and Asia-Pacific, while North America lagged. And in a survey conducted early this year, established insurers named insurtech startups as their principal competitive threat.

Cisco PONC EMEA 2026: Riding the wave of AI traffic demand, with benefits for all

Cisco held its Packet Optical Networking Conference (PONC) in Milan, Italy, May 13-14, 2026. At the conference Cisco showed off its latest optical innovation and communicated its strong momentum in optical transport, predominantly driven by the confluence of booming AI traffic demands and hyperscaler investment. But even though the hyperscalers are driving the market demand and largely determining the pace and direction of innovation, Cisco was quick to emphasize that this renewed vigor in optical investment and R&D will benefit all, CSPs and enterprises included.

The Future of Aerospace & Defense – Key Themes for 2026 and Beyond

Navigating volatility: the macro fallout from Iran conflict and oil-price spikes

The geopolitical backdrop has rarely felt more combustible, and nowhere is that felt more keenly than in aerospace & defense. A near-paralysed Strait of Hormuz and a wave of attacks across the Middle East have snarled supply chains and sent oil prices soaring, even as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its fifth year and Europe recalibrates. We examine the macroeconomic forces that investors must weigh before committing capital.

Smarter, faster and more disruptive: the defense tech reshaping investment

In aerospace and defense, four technology areas are currently generating the greatest volume of near-term investment activity. AI, cybersecurity, hypersonic weapons and the space economy each present compelling opportunities – and risks that investors cannot afford to underestimate.

Aerospace and Defense: The Continent Strikes Back

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the free world left its defense to America. That is about to change: investment is a strong theme across aerospace and defense, with the sector set to experience levels of activity not seen in decades, especially in Europe. Dynamics are changing between established alliances amid new conflicts and commitments, as well as the advancement of transformative technologies such as drones. We explore the key aerospace and defense investment themes amid an increasingly unpredictable world.

Aerospace and defense M&A activity: strategic positioning amid robust growth

M&A activity in the aerospace and defense (A&D) sector blew out in 2025, with deal announcements hitting an all-time high and total deal value up 60% year on year, driven by technological advances, geopolitical volatility and the accelerating push for European rearmament. We track the most notable developments and explain what this could mean for the future.

The Future of Tech – Key Themes for 2026 and Beyond

Tariffs, scarce power and a splintered map: the macro forces reshaping technology investment to 2035

Over the next decade, technology companies will operate in a world shaped by tariffs, resource constraints and regional rivalries. For investors and dealmakers, the implications are profound: supply chains will be rewired, capital allocation strategies will shift and access to power and water will emerge as critical determinants of value creation.