All articles by Douglas Blakey
Douglas Blakey
Weak M&A and private equity drag global deal activity down by 7% y-o-y in early 2026: GlobalData
Early 2026 deal activity across major markets points to a fragmented and regionally driven global dealmaking environment
Surface-level AI is banking’s biggest strategic risk in 2026
While much of the AI discourse in retail banking focuses on speed of adoption, Alvaro Morales explains why the real strategic risk is mis-sequenced adoption
The death of the universal model: Why the neobank never came for Victor
Ian Rand explains why the growing mass-affluent segment is underserved by legacy and neobanks alike and represents the largest concentration of unaddressed financial complexity in the UK
Financial institutions face rising IT budgets as they balance innovation, legacy and regulation: Celent
Banks and capital market firms continue to face budget pressures to maintain levels of spending on innovation while life insurers increase budgets to catch up after years of underinvestment, reveals GlobalData’s Celent division
Alternative assets: Transformative role of AI
Alternative assets are increasingly accessible to a broader investor base, a trend that will accelerate boosted by greater adoption of AI, explains Sachin Kamat
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When AI becomes invisible: How banking will really operate by 2026
Barath Narayanan explores how banking is evolving from digital interfaces to more embedded and ambient financial services, where AI increasingly operates behind the scenes to orchestrate decisions, automate workflows and personalise services in real time
Gulf banks face an earnings test as rates fall
The question for Gulf lenders is what replaces three years of rate-driven profit growth and how quickly they can find it, writes Sarah Rizvi
Bahrain vulnerable as conflict tests GCC banks
Gulf lenders retain strong liquidity buffers, but Bahrain may face greater pressure than regional peers if the conflict drags on, writes Sarah Rizvi
The debate on autonomy
Pedro Barata makes the case for a new approach in financial crime prevention, taking into consideration the potential impact of AI agents
Role of AI in financial reporting: Hype or reality?
Mark Brown looks at the real-world impact of artificial intelligence within the actuarial and financial reporting landscape