Banks, bonuses and the Budget

The UK government's Budget announcement next week has been the source of rabid speculation for months. The uncertainty is affecting how banks in particular approach the sterling bond market to fund themselves. We explain the dynamics in play.

Meanwhile, an NGO in the US is applying pressure to multilateral development banks to change the way they assess energy project financing to consider environmental factors. We explain why the legal opinion the campaign has generated matters, what it says and how MDBs may react to it.

Finally, we investigate investment bank bonuses. We explain how the whole process works from initial discussions within a bank to when the cash and shares are paid and also discuss some of the shenanigans that go on at this time of year. We also share what our columnist Craig Coben had to say this week about how to successfully argue for better compensation.