What has no beginning, end, or middle and touches every continent? If you answered, “the ocean”- Correct! Or the ‘living infinite’, as Jules Verne called it in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. This latest episode of 2050 Investors is a splashy one as host Kokou Agbo-Bloua dives deep into the mysteries of the oceans aboard the modern-day Nautilus, the Nautile. In 2022, at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 150 member states pledged to preserve or safeguard thirty percent of th...
Jul 23, 2025•28 min
Europe, once the driving force of global progress, gave birth to the Industrial Revolution, Enlightenment ideals, innovative scientific discoveries, and a cultural renaissance that shaped modern civilization. However, today, amid trade wars, geopolitical crises and industrial and technological advancements, Europe finds itself at a critical crossroads. In response to these disruptions in the global order, the European Union has announced bold investment plans in infrastructure and defence spendi...
May 28, 2025•27 min
Every so often, a bold new climate solution emerges - hailed as the answer to humanity's looming environmental crisis. From carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to nature-based solutions, these innovations offer hope. But one of the most provocative - and polarizing - is geoengineering. Unlike traditional mitigation strategies, geoengineering doesn't aim to address the root causes of climate change. Instead, it proposes fixing the climate at a planetary scale, either by cooling the plan...
Apr 23, 2025•27 min
Think about the last advert you saw. Was it the first or the 100th time you saw it? Today, the average person sees around 5,000 to 10,000 ads a day - a significant jump from the 500 ads a day in the 1970s. So, with all these ads - from social media to cable TV - vying for our attention, it's time for a reckoning. In this episode of 2050 Investors, we ask: has advertising been a force for good, or has it contributed to patterns of over-consumption? Join host Kokou Agbo-Bloua on a journey through ...
Mar 27, 2025•26 min
What qualities make the best salespeople? And what are the secrets behind their ability to sell anything — from a simple pen to a car, a house or even an option based systematic overlay on US Equities? In this episode of 2050 Investors, Kokou delves into the duality of selling as both an art and a science. Far from the realm of fantasy, salespeople bring a unique blend of creativity and expertise to the world of banking. Join us as we explore different sales techniques from AIDA to SPIN, the evo...
Feb 26, 2025•37 min
How did the banking system evolve from a simple bench—the very origin of the word “bank”—into the sophisticated institutions that drive the global economy? Banks are more than just institutions. With over 4,000 years of history, they have played a pivotal role in powering industrial revolutions, transforming dreams into reality, and adapting to the evolving needs of clients across generations. From economic booms to busts, they have stood the test of time, channeling funding like the lifeblood o...
Jan 28, 2025•51 min
Part 1 of the episode. Don't miss Claudia Senik's interview in Part 2. What really drives happiness in the 21st century? The UN designates March 20 as “International Day of Happiness” to celebrate the importance of happiness and well-being as “universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings worldwide and in public policy objectives". Join Kokou Agbo-Bloua as he delves into the dynamics of happiness economics and the pursuit of genuine well-being in today's globalized world. Kokou qu...
Dec 18, 2024•24 min
Part 2 of the episode. We recommend you listen to Part 1 if you haven't already. What really drives happiness in the 21st century? The UN designates March 20 as “International Day of Happiness” to celebrate the importance of happiness and well-being as “universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings worldwide and in public policy objectives". Join Kokou Agbo-Bloua as he delves into the dynamics of happiness economics and the pursuit of genuine well-being in today's globalized world...
Dec 18, 2024•16 min
This special episode of 2050 Investors takes you to… well, the year 2050! Will we have achieved our goal of net-zero emissions and taken the necessary steps to limit global warming to 1.5 C°? And if not, what will a world on the verge of climate collapse due to human activities look like? Join Kokou Agbo-Bloua as he explores the future, inspired by the thought-provoking series "Black Mirror". Stuck inside a dream within a dream, where fiction and reality are intertwined, will we discover a brigh...
Nov 13, 2024•21 min
What kind of risk taker are you? The answer may reveal more than you think. In this episode of 2050 Investors, Kokou Agbo-Bloua takes a closer look at risk and its role in the financial markets. Kokou explores traditional risk management models such as the Value at Risk, volatility and heteroskedasticity (volatility of volatility) and explores the interplay between Main Street and Wall Street. Later, Kokou sits down with Hatem Mustapha, Co-Head of Global Markets, to discuss the ins and outs of m...
Oct 10, 2024•35 min
$25 trillion ! This is the sum injected into the economy by Governments and Central Banks to protect a significant portion of the global economy during the Covid crisis. Where does this funding come from, and what are the impacts of such government spending? Is this strategy sustainable in the long term? These are important questions to consider, particularly since we are in a year where half of the world's population is heading to the polls and many candidates are advocating for a 'whatever it ...
Sep 04, 2024•23 min
Part 1 of the episode. Don't miss Jonny Wilkinson's interview in Part 2. “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime”. In this episode about sports, these lyrics from Eminem’s hit song ‘Lose Yourself‘ resonate deeply. Throughout History, from civil rights to diversity and inclusion, sports have deeply shaped, inspired and changed our individual and collective human experiences. This episode is a celebration of all things sports. In the first...
Jul 31, 2024•19 min
Part 2 of the episode. We recommend you listen to Part 1 if you haven't already. “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime”. In this episode about sports, these lyrics from Eminem’s hit song ‘Lose Yourself‘ resonate deeply. Throughout History, from civil rights to diversity and inclusion, sports have deeply shaped, inspired and changed our individual and collective human experiences. This episode is a celebration of all things sports. In t...
Jul 31, 2024•20 min
Is nuclear power the key to a carbon-neutral future or an accident waiting to happen? Non-hydro renewables such as wind and solar are predicted to play a major role in the future. However, one of these energy solutions has divided public opinion more than others. To mention the name "nuclear" is to conjure up the boogie man or "he who must not be named". By 2050, some 10 billion people will need some form of energy to eat, travel, work and protect themselves from the weather. McKinsey's Energy 2...
Jul 10, 2024•26 min
Abraham Lincoln once said, “ By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” . So why do well-known risk managements models fail to predict major events? Is it possible to know when and where the next crisis will come from? And how can we be better prepared? In this episode of 2050 Investors, host Kokou Agbo-Bloua explores the theory of Black Swans, created by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and its relevance to sustainability, climate change, and financial markets. Delving into the world of the unexpe...
May 29, 2024•21 min
The Chinese have a saying, ' A peaceful life has nothing to do with the passage of time'. This sound reminder points to the importance of enjoying life regardless of age. After all, age is just a number, right? Ageing has become a topical issue in the mainstream recently as experts warn of the incoming 'Silver Avalanche', which has already swept Europe and is making its way to Asia. Global life expectancy has risen from 51 to 72 since 1960 and is expected to reach 77 by 2050. It is projected tha...
Apr 10, 2024•27 min
Strap on your boots, don your hats, grab your pitchforks and mangroves, because we are going carbon hunting! Although carbon dioxide makes up a measly 0.04% of our atmosphere or 421 parts per million (ppm), it is about double the average concentration seen over the past 3 million years. All of this extra carbon dioxide accumulated since the pre-industrial era has already caused global warming of 1.1 degrees Celsius, destabilized Earth's climate and started the 6th mass extinction of biodiversity...
Feb 28, 2024•24 min
Should the world's central banks (Fed, ECB, BoE...) launch a coordinated "green quantitative easing" programme to simply print the $3.5 trillion a year needed to finance the energy transition? Is this a realistic solution or too green to be true? This episode of the 2050 investors podcast puts the 'central' back in central banks. Since their creation in the 17th century, central banks have been tasked with managing monetary policy, overseeing the banking system and the core mandate of maintainin...
Jan 24, 2024•25 min
What has no beginning, end, or middle and touches every continent? If you answered, “the ocean”- Correct! Or the ‘living infinite’, as Jules Verne called it in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. This latest episode of 2050 Investors is a splashy one as host Kokou Agbo-Bloua dives deep into the mysteries of the oceans aboard the modern-day Nautilus, the Nautile. In 2022, at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 150 member states pledged to preserve or safeguard thirty percent of th...
Dec 20, 2023•28 min
Why do we say, "there’s no place like home"? This iconic phrase appears in "The Wizard of Oz" to remind us of the human need for familiarity, belonging and protection. Over the past centuries, our homes have followed a Darwinian process of evolution by natural selection of efficiency. From caves to skyscrapers, they’ve protected us from wild animals, natural disasters, and the changing climate. Current estimates put the total number of houses at around 2 billion and by 2050, we will need to hous...
Nov 15, 2023•27 min
Part 1 of the episode. Don't miss Jonny Wilkinson's interview in Part 2. “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime”. In this episode about sports, these lyrics from Eminem’s hit song ‘Lose Yourself‘ resonate deeply. Throughout History, from civil rights to diversity and inclusion, sports have deeply shaped, inspired and changed our individual and collective human experiences. This episode is a celebration of all things sports. In the first...
Oct 18, 2023•19 min
Part 2 of the episode. We recommend you listen to Part 1 if you haven't already. “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime”. In this episode about sports, these lyrics from Eminem’s hit song ‘Lose Yourself‘ resonate deeply. Throughout History, from civil rights to diversity and inclusion, sports have deeply shaped, inspired and changed our individual and collective human experiences. This episode is a celebration of all things sports. In t...
Oct 18, 2023•20 min
This special episode of 2050 Investors takes you to… well, the year 2050! Will we have achieved our goal of net-zero emissions and taken the necessary steps to limit global warming to 1.5 C°? And if not, what will a world on the verge of climate collapse due to human activities look like? Join Kokou Agbo-Bloua as he explores the future, inspired by the thought-provoking series "Black Mirror". Stuck inside a dream within a dream, where fiction and reality are intertwined, will we discover a brigh...
Sep 13, 2023•21 min
Economy, planet, markets and you 2050 Investors is going on a summer break! Before we meet again in September, listen to our April 2022 episode on the insurance industry, which is facing a number of challenges as a result of climate change. In insurance lingo, an “Act of God” is an event outside of human control or activity, such as natural disasters. With the growing frequency of such "Acts of God" - amplified by acts of men - the question of the insurability of climate risks is front and centr...
Aug 17, 2023•31 min
Welcome fellow energy explorers! Do you know why is the energy transition taking so long? And what awaits us when we eventually deplete our energy reserves? In this episode of “2050 Investors” we're embarking on a thrilling adventure into the world of energy and the ongoing transition away from fossil fuels. Inspired by the timeless tale of "The Jungle Book," we explore the metaphorical significance of "Man's red flower" as a symbol of humanity's relationship with energy and its impact on the pl...
Jul 26, 2023•31 min
Did you know that in 2022, the global apparel market was valued at over US 1.5 trillion dollars and is expected to increase to almost US 2 trillion dollars by 2027 (Consumer Market Outlook)? But here is the catch: the industry accounts for 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that figure is growing! In this riveting episode, Kokou Agbo-Bloua investigates the dark underbelly of fast fashion, exploring its impact on the environment, global markets, and the very fabric of our society. S...
Jun 28, 2023•26 min
Did you know that over the past 440 million years, there have been five mass extinction events on Earth? Now, according to scientists, the sixth extinction may already be underway. By the end of the century, it is estimated that half of an estimated 8 million living species could become extinct due to human-induced global warming. In other words: biodiversity is at risk. Join Kokou Agbo-Bloua as he embarks on a journey to understand the critical importance of preserving biodiversity in the face ...
May 16, 2023•31 min
Part 1 of the episode. Don't miss Claudia Senik's interview in Part 2. What really drives happiness in the 21st century? The UN designates March 20 as “International Day of Happiness” to celebrate the importance of happiness and well-being as “universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings worldwide and in public policy objectives". Join Kokou Agbo-Bloua as he delves into the dynamics of happiness economics and the pursuit of genuine well-being in today's globalized world. Kokou qu...
Apr 05, 2023•24 min
Part 2 of the episode. We recommend you listen to Part 1 if you haven't already. What really drives happiness in the 21st century? The UN designates March 20 as “International Day of Happiness” to celebrate the importance of happiness and well-being as “universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings worldwide and in public policy objectives". Join Kokou Agbo-Bloua as he delves into the dynamics of happiness economics and the pursuit of genuine well-being in today's globalized world...
Apr 05, 2023•16 min
How does climate change affect health? Thanks to the incredible discoveries in medicine and technology, the average global human lifespan has more than doubled since 1900 and is now above 70 years. Over the same period, CO2 emissions exponentially increased, which raises questions about the link between healthcare and climate change. In this episode, Kokou Agbo-Bloua embarks on an investigative journey, exploring the multifaceted dimensions of healthcare – from the complexities of the human body...
Feb 15, 2023•27 min
