Insights
Ideas. Markets.
Strategy.
Perspective.
SMAM Insights brings together our perspectives on global markets, strategic transformation, capital and the forces shaping businesses and investment.
From weekly market observations to strategic analysis and company news, we share the developments, ideas and structural trends that matter to entrepreneurs, investors and decision-makers.
Independent thinking for a complex world.
Selected Perspectives
All Insights
A growing body of independent thinking, organised for precise and efficient research.
Capital & Markets
The New Liquidity Question: When Private Capital Must Prove Its Value
Private capital faces a growing challenge: translating portfolio valuations into realised investment returns. New ILPA guidance and Blackstone's latest results highlight why…
Capital & Markets
The Economics of Tokenisation Begin After Issuance
The European Central Bank is advancing the infrastructure supporting tokenised financial markets. With Pontes now operational and Appia progressing, SMAM examines how…
Strategic Perspectives
Water Security Is Becoming an Investment Variable
Water security is increasingly relevant to corporate investment and asset valuation. New ECB research highlights the scale of economic exposure to water…
Strategic Perspectives
When Power Becomes Part of the Investment Case
Venture Global's latest infrastructure agreements highlight an important shift in corporate investment. Reliable electricity is increasingly influencing project viability, capital efficiency, industrial…
Strategic Perspectives
The Next AI Advantage Will Be Organisational, Not Computational
New European evidence shows rapid AI adoption but much shallower integration into core business processes. As access to models and compute broadens,…
Strategic Perspectives
The Value of Focus: When Acquisitions and Separations Become One Strategy
Informa's proposed £2.24 billion acquisition of Clarion Events, alongside plans to separate Taylor & Francis, illustrates why corporate focus is becoming an…
Strategic Perspectives
Energy Reliability Is Becoming an Investment Underwriting Issue
Electricity security is moving beyond operational risk management. As infrastructure and climate-related disruptions become more material, companies and investors need to assess…
Capital & Markets
Why Private Capital Is Moving Upstream of the Spin-Off
A $2 billion investment into Flex’s Axiom business shows how corporate carve-outs are evolving from legal separation exercises into capital-formation events involving…
Start the Week
The Fed Has More Time — Not More Certainty
Softer US employment data have reduced the urgency for another Federal Reserve hike. Yet oil above USD 100, persistent inflation and sovereign…
Capital & Markets
AI Infrastructure Is Becoming Sovereign Industrial Capacity
The AI race is moving beyond models and semiconductors. Japan’s latest infrastructure initiative shows why power, compute, capital and execution are converging…
Capital & Markets
Public-Market Readiness Is Becoming a Strategic Asset
Oura’s decision to postpone its IPO despite strong demand highlights an important distinction: accessing public markets and needing them are not the…
Strategic Perspectives
Grid Capacity Is Becoming a Strategic Asset
Electricity generation is no longer the only constraint on capital-intensive growth. As connection queues lengthen and demand accelerates, access to grid capacity…
From Perspective to Action
Perspective should
lead to action.
SMAM works alongside entrepreneurs, CEOs, shareholders and investors navigating strategic transformation, capital formation and international complexity.