Absa & IMD | Reimagining Banking with Africanacity

Societe Generale market capitalization surged after restoring financial discipline, cutting costs strategically and protecting innovation to rebuild trust.

How do you rebuild trust in a 160-year-old bank? Société Générale CEO Slawomir Krupa on discipline, fintech disruption, and tough turnaround decisions.

The Wealth of Nations remains a cornerstone of economic thought. Adam Smith’s treatise on free trade is relevant for today’s fracturing global economy.

CFO Raphael Savalle shows how finance leaders can embed sustainability, drive AI-led transformation, and lead with credibility and human insight.

The Qualios case tracks the search, negotiations and ultimate acquisition of an industrial, family-owned SME in Southern Germany. Using a variety of materials, including sophisticated composites, the company produces customized, high-quality braided sleeves primarily for technical applications. The fourth-generation owners were led to sell due to a lack of succession and health issues. A reputable niche business serving automotive, packaging, construction and industrial clients across Germany and internationally, Qualios generated €12 million in revenue and healthy EBITDA and employed around 50 staff. The company faced several issues, such as rising raw material and production costs, difficulty attracting skilled workers to the region and growing demands from customers for sustainability certifications. The potential buyer, Konrad, believed he had a joker up his sleeve with Georg, an experienced operating manager, family confidant and potential co-investor. Negotiations proved complex until the duo was able to bypass the broker and establish direct links to the seller. A deal was ultimately closed, involving not only a significant earnout element from the seller but also 90% leverage offered by local banks, with strenuous covenants. Nonetheless, fundamental questions remained after the deal: Had the buyer paid the right price and established the proper structure to ensure long-term success? Closing was only the first battle: Could Qualios grow fast enough to service the debt, repay the vendor loan and justify the price tag – all while honoring the company legacy that mattered so deeply to the seller?

A scenario based framework showing how banks can build a sustainable finance strategy that balances long term sustainability commitments with strong financial performance.

The fourth industrial revolution (I4.0) is critically relevant to the future of business management. In this study, we theoretically examine I4.0 investment and implementation from a social capital perspective. By explicating the various forms of ...

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had long recognized that the game of basketball was evolving beyond physical participation. That shift became impossible to ignore in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live events and left fans stuck at home. With no traditional products to deliver, FIBA saw esports as a timely strategic extension to complement traditional basketball with a digital-first discipline that could engage younger audiences. Governed under FIBA's statutes and structured as a national team competition, eFIBA was created to establish a new basketball discipline – enhancing the sport and advancing FIBA's vision to unite the global basketball community. Between mid-2020 and the end of 2021, the eFIBA team launched three fully virtual tournaments – FIBA Esports Open I, II and III – with the objective to "learn by doing." This set the foundation to deliver more ambitious eFIBA Seasons 1, 2 and 3. A key evolution in the tournament format from Season 2 onwards was that the World Finals were held in person in a host country. This created an X factor for the tournament. Each successive season witnessed increasing engagement from National Federations, dedicated eBasketball players, enthusiastic fans, sponsors, content creators and influencers. However, a key partner pulled out after Season 2 in early 2024 and eFIBA had to deliver Season 3 and future seasons with diminished resources. This marked a turning point for eFIBA. In 2025, as the eFIBA team set out to develop a five-year strategy to 2029, several questions came to the fore: What value had eFIBA created for different stakeholders to allow it to stand on its own as a brand? What different B2B and/or B2C business models could eFIBA explore to capture higher value? How should eFIBA go about developing a three-year roadmap to enhance value creation for different stakeholders and sustain value capture going forward?

IMD’s Inside the Transition explores how finance drives the energy transition, with Pictet CSO Marie-Laure Schaufelberger on credibility, capital, and ESG.

IMD’s Salvatore Cantale explores how CFOs can balance CEO ambition and board oversight to strengthen decision-making and ensure long-term business success.