Long regarded as abundant despite being indispensable, water was often treated as secondary to energy and climate issues, however the accelerating scarcity of this resource now makes it a fundamental challenge for the sustainability of our societies.

For years, conflict risk sat at the margins of responsible investing - too political for some, too complex for others, and too operationally messy for almost everyone. That is becoming harder to sustain. As wars multiply, sanction regimes tighten and legal scrutiny grows sharper, investors are being forced to confront a difficult truth: managing exposure to conflict-affected and high-risk areas, or CAHRAs, is no longer a niche exercise in ethical finance. It is a test of governance, preparedness and realism.

A concise, investor-focused update on EU sustainability regulation, including where the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) 2.0 stands following the European Parliament’s adoption of its negotiating position, which elements of the emerging framework are becoming clearer, and what the proposed changes could mean for product categorisation, disclosures and implementation timelines.