Finance
Finance for Biodiversity updates nature target-setting framework for investors
The Finance for Biodiversity (FfB) Foundation has launched an updated version of its nature target-setting framework for asset managers and asset owners.
Developed with FfB members, the guidance follows a beta version released in November, and seeks to help investors align financial flows with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
The Finance for Biodiversity Pledge was launched in 2020 and boasts 177 signatories, including Amundi, Fidelity International, Legal & General Investment Management and Federated Hermes. Signatories commit to collaborate, engage, set targets and report on biodiversity before 2025.
In 2021, the FfB Foundation was set up to “support a call to action and collaboration between financial institutions via working groups as a connecting body for contributing signatories and partner organisations”.
Financial institutions that have signed the pledge can become members of the foundation if they want to be active in the working groups. There are currently 76 members.
Among the updates to Wednesday’s document surround the types of nature targets for investors to set.
Target reshuffle
The beta version outlined four types of targets: initiation, sector, engagement and portfolio coverage.
The latest guidance proposes three types: initiation targets, optional monitoring targets and portfolio targets.
The initiation targets would still see investors committing to assessing and disclosing their exposure to nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities in line with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures recommendations.
It also recommends setting targets on governance. For example, an investor could commit to ensuring board or executive-level oversight of the management of nature-related factors by a certain year.
Turning to the optional monitoring targets, these are designed to ensure investors monitor sector-relevant KPIs “across priority sectors and implement stewardship actions to address the identified key impact drivers on nature”.
An example of a monitoring target would be the percentage of companies with a deforestation and conversion-free policy, while a stewardship action could see the investor determine the engagement universe of companies to target on nature.
Finally, for the portfolio targets the Foundation suggests a two-pronged approach: setting portfolio sub-targets, as well as stewardship sub-targets.
An example of a sub-portfolio target could be that by 2030 a percentage of firms from relevant sectors will have committed to implement a validated Science-Based Target for Nature.
A stewardship sub-target could see an investor commit to engaging with a certain number of companies per year on each of the relevant pressures on nature.
“The portfolio and stewardship sub-targets are complementary and indissociable as the latter is the lever through which the investor will influence companies to reduce their pressures on nature thereby achieving the required reduction to meet KPI thresholds,” according to the document.
Unified approach
Another key change since the beta version is the removal of beginner and advanced tracks, which had different timelines for achieving targets.
Instead, the foundation now advocates for a unified approach to applying these targets over time.
“This adjustment ensures that all targets are set to be achieved by 2030, in alignment with the GBF’s mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. However, investors retain the flexibility to target shorter timeframes according to their specific goals,” it said.
Currently the framework remains limited to listed equity and corporate bonds – additional asset classes, including sovereign debt, will be integrated into the guidance in future iterations.
The foundation said it is also planning to create guidance on how to set positive impact targets.
ENCORE update
In related news, the ENCORE nature tool has had a major update.
Launched in 2018 to help financial institutions and companies understand how their activities rely on nature, ENCORE is a collaboration between Global Canopy, the UNEP Finance Initiative, and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).
Previous updates included in 2019 when its functionality was extended to enable institutions to also assess their impacts on nature.
One of the latest expansions is growing its previous list of 92 “production processes” to 271 “economic activities”.
These economic activities, ranging from livestock farming to the manufacture of chemicals and nuclear power production, “offer a more detailed breakdown on economic sectors”.
It has also added information on key value chain links, covering two tiers of suppliers and two tiers of consumers for each economic activity, “enabling users to see their indirect nature-related impacts and dependencies”.
“The release of an enhanced ENCORE methodological structure and knowledge base is more than just a procedural update,” said Neville Ash, director of UNEP-WCMC.
“The improvements come in response to pioneering users’ appetite to better understand how nature underpins their operations, and we encourage the business and financial community to use the tool to drive their decision-making towards a sustainable future – for economies, consumers and the planet.”
Finance
Ex-Google and Meta Engineers Launch Nauma: Personalized Financial Planning Tools for Tech Professionals
SAN FRANCISCO, July 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A team of former Google and Meta engineers has launched Nauma, a new platform designed to help people working in tech navigate complex financial decisions with confidence. Nauma’s mission is to democratize fiduciary-quality financial guidance, providing highly personalized planning tools without the high costs of traditional financial advisors.
Today, most high-net-worth families rely on advisors who charge based on Assets Under Management (AUM)—typically 1% of a client’s assets each year. For a family with $5 million, that means paying $50,000 annually, even as the level of service often remains static. Worse, these fees tend to rise 6–8% per year as portfolios grow, creating a system where costs scale without a proportional increase in value.
“The AUM model is outdated and misaligned with clients’ best interests,” said Alex Sukhanov, co-founder of Nauma. “Advisors operating under this model are incentivized to keep assets under their control, which can lead to biased advice when clients actually want to use their money—to buy real estate, start a business, or donate to charity.
Nauma is designed to give tech professionals clarity and control over their financial lives. The platform addresses the complex challenges faced by this group, including optimizing taxes, managing equity compensation, planning for early retirement, and protecting generational wealth.
“Tech professionals are building substantial wealth earlier in their lives, but most tools and advisors aren’t designed for their unique needs,” said Simone, Nauma’s co-founder. “We’re building the modern, intelligent financial planning infrastructure we wish we had—one that puts people, not assets, first.”
For more information, visit https://nauma.ai
About Nauma
Founded by ex-Google and Meta engineers, Nauma provides advanced financial planning tools tailored for people working in tech. By replacing the legacy AUM fee model with scalable, technology-driven solutions, Nauma empowers users to navigate complex financial decisions and build wealth on their own terms.
Media Contact
hello@nauma.ai
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/74982a9a-7d84-4a5c-8e07-edb337b65345
Finance
Mark J. Epley Joins SEDA Experts, Bringing Decades of Corporate Finance, Leveraged Finance, and M&A Expertise
SEDA Experts LLC, a leading expert witness firm providing world-class financial expert witness services, announced today that Mark J. Epley joined the firm as Managing Director.
New York, NY, July 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — “Mark brings exceptional knowledge of corporate finance to our franchise,” said Peter Selman, Managing Partner of SEDA Experts.
Mark Epley is a seasoned investment banking executive with over 30 years of experience in corporate finance, leveraged finance, and M&A. He served as Chairman of the Financial Sponsors Group Americas at HSBC Securities, where he led global coverage teams and delivered significant growth. Mark has also held senior leadership roles at other global franchises including Nomura, Deutsche Bank, and Morgan Stanley.
At HSBC, Mark built and grew the Americas Financial Sponsors Group. He managed coverage for premier clients such as Blackstone, Apollo, BlackRock, Carlyle, Bain Capital, TPG, and Warburg Pincus. Additionally, Mark contributed strategically as a member of HSBC’s Americas Investment Banking Division Management Committee, influencing firm-wide strategy and talent recruitment.
Prior to HSBC, Mark co-founded the Americas Investment Banking Division at Nomura Securities International and held roles as Global Head of the Financial Sponsors Group and Co-head of Corporate Finance Americas. He led a global team of 80 bankers across five offices, and was an active member of Nomura’s Global Investment Banking Division Executive Committee. Mark joined Nomura from Deutsche Bank Securities where he also served as Global Head of the Financial Sponsors Group,
Mark began his career at Morgan Stanley & Company, where he was Executive Director and founded the middle market coverage effort within the Financial Sponsors Group. He managed over 100 equity capital markets transactions, including IPOs, follow-ons, convertible bonds, and spin-offs. He was also involved in Mergers & Acquisitions and Restructuring transactions. His career started at a predecessor firm to JP Morgan, Manufacturers Hanover Trust (MHT), focusing on credit analysis and corporate coverage.
Mark presently acts as a Senior Advisor to SQ Capital supporting the origination and build at a unique and differentiated fund focused on investing in Private Equity secondary transactions.
Mark holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School, where he earned Dean’s List honors, and a BA in Politics from Princeton University. He has also completed executive education programs in Energy Innovation & Emerging Technologies at Stanford University and Strategic Wealth Management at Columbia University.
One of the biggest online shopping events of the year — Prime Day — will take place July 8-11 across 26 countries. What began in 2015 as a celebration of Amazon’s anniversary has since grown into a multiday retail extravaganza that rivals Black Friday and Cyber Monday in both hype and sales volume.
But amid the excitement, an important question remains: Do you really save money on Prime Day? Here’s what you need to know before loading up your virtual cart.
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Prime Day is a global sales event created by Amazon that allows Prime members to access exclusive discounts and deals on a number of products across the site.
The first Prime Day took place a decade ago to mark Amazon’s 20th anniversary. It has since evolved to span several days throughout many countries, with this year’s Prime Day event being the longest so far at four days.
Shoppers can score limited-time deals on a wide range of products, from big-ticket electronics and home appliances to beauty products, clothing, and Amazon’s own devices like Echo speakers and Fire tablets. And millions participate each year. In 2024, global sales for Amazon Prime Day totaled $14.2 billion over a 48-hour period, according to Capital One Shopping Research.
Keep in mind that to access these deals, you must be a Prime member, which costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year. However, Amazon offers a free 30-day trial, allowing new users to shop the event without paying up front.
Read more: Amazon Prime Day 2025: We found the best deals to shop before the sale officially kicks off
You may be wondering whether Prime Day is just another overblown shopping holiday like Black Friday, when retailers offer increasingly unimpressive deals to encourage unnecessary spending.
There’s no denying that some Prime Day deals offer real value. The key is having a smart shopping strategy in place to purchase items you actually need at a steep discount — not impulsively spending to take advantage of perceived savings.
Historically, shoppers have seen discounts of 30%-70% on items such as Apple AirPods, laptops, robot vacuums, smart home devices, and branded kitchen appliances. Amazon’s own products, including Kindles, Fire TVs, and Echo Dots, usually come with the deepest discounts. In 2023, Prime Day purchase discounts totaled $2.5 billion, according to Capital One.
Retail analysts have found that many of these items are offered at their lowest prices of the year. So yes, if you’ve had your eye on a specific product and it happens to be on sale during Prime Day, you could walk away with serious savings.
Read more: 7 money-saving perks for Amazon Prime members
Keep in mind that not all the deals offered on Prime Day are really worth it. It’s important to have a plan and do your research ahead of time so you know whether you’re looking at a true discount.
One common tactic retailers use to encourage spending is “price anchoring,” where the listed original price is inflated, making the discount look more impressive than it actually is. In some cases, the so-called sale price is just a return to the item’s normal price after a brief increase in the weeks leading up to Prime Day.
Another issue is the impulse-buy nature of the event. Flash deals and lightning sales are designed to create urgency, leading many shoppers to make purchases they wouldn’t otherwise consider. If you buy something you don’t need — or wouldn’t have bought without the flashy red countdown clock — you’re not really saving money, even if the price is lower.
If you’re hoping to cash in on Amazon Prime savings, it’s important to make a game plan.
It’s easy to get distracted by discounts and make impulsive purchases while browsing. Before you start shopping, make a list of the key items you really want. Prioritize finding deals on those must-haves — and only buy them if it makes sense for your budget.
Decide how much money you can comfortably afford to spend on Prime Day ahead of time and stick to that limit. You’ll avoid throwing your budget off track and ending up with buyer’s remorse.
This year, Amazon is offering over 40 personalized deal features to help shoppers find discounts on products they’re most likely to be interested in. Look for personalized suggestions within the “Recommended deals for you,” “Top deals for you,” and “Customers’ Most-Loved” features to zero in on the deals you may be looking for.
Subscribe and save (if it makes sense)
Amazon’s Subscribe and Save feature offers year-round discounts on items you need to stock up on regularly. On Prime Day, these items may have an additional discount that could help you score extra savings.
Many major retailers such as Walmart, Target, and Best Buy will have their own sales and promotions around Prime Day when they know shoppers are in the mood to splurge. Before you check out, compare the price of items in your cart across a few different retailers to ensure you’re getting the lowest price overall.
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