Here's a glance back and look forward about the stories, themes and controversies that have been part of the editorial team's work.

It’s high time I updated readers on our editorial offerings and gave a glimpse on the subjects we explore. So here goes!

Since I last wrote in August about our coverage, there have been aftershocks from the “de-banking” saga that erupted with the case of broadcaster and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage. I continue to talk to compliance and other figures about how banks, as commercial organisations, handle this sort of issue. For example, Greengage, a new player in the UK financial space, had detailed thoughts about what the sector should do. We continue to monitor developments. As the business and lifestyle guru Tim Ferriss likes to say, one of the most important subjects for entrepreneurs is knowing when to fire a client so you can focus on those who add value, rather than destroy it.

Unloading clients from banks is sometimes necessary – compliance demands it. But the politicisation of this process, if it goes beyond explicit legal prohibitions set in law, hurts wider trust in a sector that needs to build it. (In a world of laissez-faire capitalism, banks could be as biased as they like, but today, when they are regulated and receive state bailouts, that cannot be right.) The revelations that Coutts had held a dossier on Farage and disliked his view views have done damage. Let’s hope the sector takes stock and moves on. 

After the initial flurry of stories, the UBS takeover of Credit Suisse sees occasional material about the departure of bankers and announcement of new teams. The world economy is not out the woods – consider the debt problems of Chinese real estate developers, to to give just one case – so banks' balance sheets and financial health will need to be watched closely. The demise of Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic in the US haven't been forgotten (these banks are now in other hands).

During the past few weeks the editorial team has looked at a range of topics under the umbrella of “protecting the client,” and we continue to do so. This can touch on cybersecurity, and physical security too. We’ve talked to private investigators – the “gumshoes” of yore – about the work they do to check the backgrounds of private bankers and other people in positions of trust. This meant that we lifted a lid on a global sector that often is misunderstood. That’s part of the fun of writing for this news service – we go beyond the standard clichés of what finance and economics is about.

The news service has talked to trusts and estates experts – trusts remain a big part of the protective toolkit – and lawyers handling family law. Privacy and reputational protection remain big topics. Our coverage includes that of citizenship/residency-by-investment schemes. “Golden visas” have their critics (sometimes justified) but can offer protection, given that rich people are often attacked for the sin of being well off in a time of zero-sum thinking. A consideration, as ever, is that such routes should be widened beyond the circles of the wealthy, and governments of various hues are launching new programmes. We will continue to track this, such as the state of the UK's resident non-domicile system. 

During the autumn – and throughout the year – we monitor themes such as the rise of private investing (now feeling a bit of a chill due to higher borrowing costs), the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the wealth management value chain, and the need to attract a wider variety of people into the industry. 

Coming up, we will look at philanthropy more so than normal – although we track it all the time. In the US, the Thanksgiving holiday is a traditional time to focus on the topic, even though, as was shown by the pandemic, charity has to be an all-year round activity. What is happening in Israel and Gaza is sure to attract philanthropic attention, as Ukraine’s ordeals have done.

As I learned from a conversation with the Gates Foundation – an interview will be published soon – medical issues such as care for babies and mothers, feature heavily. We have written about a charity focused on eye health and the availability of spectacles in developing countries. The mental health damage wrought by lockdowns and other forces are gainng more attention than before. The wealth industry must be a part of this conversation. 

Other topics we keep in view – with stories to come – include the regulation of cryptos in Switzerland, for example (see an article here about SEBA Bank), the state of the family offices market in Germany and, of course, the continued adjustment to asset allocations by managers as clients adjust to a world of higher interest rates. And, as readers can see, we also profile firms that are doing interesting and innovative things. See an example here and here.

On a final note, geopolitics is always with us. The grim stories from Israel and Gaza add to those from Ukraine. As I have mentioned in my latest editorial, this puts a focus on sanctions, compliance and the need to stamp out flows of money to terrorists. And that takes us back to my first point. Sometimes banks need to shut their doors to bad actors. The hard part, of course, is handling this in ways that don’t hit the innocent, even if they are controversial and rub against received wisdom.