The global landscape is bracing for impact with over 60 countries heading towards elections this year. In the Americas, investors eyeing the S&P 500 are urged to tread cautiously due to the looming threat of overexposure to mega-cap tech stocks. This concentration poses inherent risks, requiring careful navigation amidst market volatility and sectoral shifts.

Following the Federal Reserve largely maintaining their projection for interest rate cuts this year, all major stock indexes reached record highs while gold prices declined due to strengthening US dollars. The possible rate cut carries a significant impact on the cost of capital, thereby reducing the borrowing cost while diminishing investment returns, especially for fixed-income securities, thereby presenting both opportunities and challenges for asset management and banking. As the world watches these developments unfold, attention in Asia turns to Nikkei's unprecedented rally in Japanese stocks, raising speculation about its sustainability and the broader implications for regional and global investors alike.

In this edition, we capture leading trends across banking, wealth management, private equity, commercial and corporate lending, consulting and technology in financial services. I hope you find this edition engaging and we look forward to hearing from you on how Acuity could be a strategic staff augmentation and technology transformation partner to you in your growth journey.

Gyanendra N Pati, Senior Director, Global Head of Marketing & Communications