Employability: a skill to acquire!

Three “Fit 4” support programmes offered by Luxinnovation already enable companies to improve their performance in three areas: digitalisation, sustainability and operational excellence. In July 2024, Lex Delles, Minister for the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism, and Sasha Baillie, CEO of Luxinnovation, announced that existing programmes were to be standardised and simplified, and a new one to be launched: Fit 4 Digital - AI. We asked Emmanuelle Kipper, Senior Advisor - SME Performance at Luxinnovation, to tell us more about these performance programmes for businesses.

In this interview, Mariana Ruiz, Senior Social Development specialist at the European Investment Bank, tells us how banks can promote social justice by integrating human rights considerations into their lending practices and investment decisions. Do not miss Mariana’s five useful tips to make informed choices that align with your human rights principles.

Financial incentives encourage companies to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices. Both governments and the private sector play a crucial role in this dynamic. Luxembourg is implementing legislative measures to reduce the amount of plastic waste, while providing practical advice on concrete actions at a local level. Charles-Albert Florentin, Cleantech Cluster Manager at Luxinnovation, shares his expertise on sustainable innovation in Luxembourg, with a focus on the global impact of financing to combat plastic pollution.

Looking back to the events of early 2022 and the developing global crisis and challenges, the real estate market in Luxembourg has known some changes: price adjustments, decrease of new constructions and high interest rates have taken their toll. We spoke to Andrea Maramotti, CEO of Immotop.lu about the actual situation.

When you are self-employed, an SME, an association or a large company, you may need to pay for certain products and services by means other than by bank transfer. Some stores will agree to give you the invoice at the same time as your goods, but others don't have that option, which can make an ordinary purchase more complicated than expected for your financial management. A business bank card is a good way to resolve this kind of situation. Discover what Spuerkeess can offer for your business in this article. Enjoy your reading!

Rising interest rates, a crisis-ridden construction sector, falling property prices: that's the current situation on the property market. But what does this mean for private individuals looking to buy a property in 2024? We spoke to Claude Hirtzig, Head of Retail & Professional Banking, at Spuerkeess, to find out more about the development of the real estate market and housing financing.

Sustainable mobility offers significant benefits and challenges for organisations. Strategic approaches are essential to reduce emissions and promote greener transportation. Falk Fernbach, Director of Strategy and Innovation at LuxMobility, shares his insights on the matter and presents our readers 5 tips related to sustainable mobility.

Climate change risks are a growing concern for companies, including financial institutions, as they can be caused by physical effects, weather changes, or emissions reduction efforts. Integrating sustainability and climate risks into business strategies is crucial for a sustainable economy. Jean-Philippe Peters, Partner at Deloitte Luxembourg and Maria Josefin Johansson Juup, Senior Manager at Deloitte Luxembourg provide us with insights, as well as 5 useful tips for companies developing a climate risk management framework.

We’ve all heard about it, some of us have already used it... but can you define exactly what Open Data is? What is its purpose, its benefits? What is its reality in Luxembourg? And, finally, what are the short- and medium-term outlook? We spoke to Francis Kaell,Open Data manager within the government’s Information and Press Department, who provided insights, Mr Kaell works closely with Marie-Astrid Cauquy, from Spuerkeess’s Data Management department, to ensure the proper provision of data..

The financial industry can contribute to the European Green Deal by avoiding negative investment and promoting sustainable finance. There has already been cooperation between Spuerkeess and etika since 1996. In the current environment, sustainable economic activities remain a priority. We spoke with etika’s Ekkehart Schmidt about the latest developments and five useful tips on how we can all drive sustainable change in the financial industry.

According to recent studies, a great deal of children grow up not knowing how money is earned or managed. In their daily adult life, a lack of financial skills can lead to unnecessary stress that is entirely preventable. Teaching money skills to your children is as important as learning to read and write or brushing their teeth. We talked to Dr Mara Catherine Harvey, CEO of VP Bank (Switzerland) Ltd and Head Region Europe, and founder of SmartWayToStart.com, about pocket money and embarking on your financial parenting journey. Happy Reading!

Luxembourg's industrial sector is transitioning to renewable energy and has to overcome challenges like high electricity costs and infrastructure investments. Strengthening manufacturing capacities and promoting green reindustrialization is crucial for the economy. We spoke to Dr. Gaston Trauffler, head of industrial policy at FEDIL who provided insight and five useful tips for our readers.