Geopolitics

Water is rapidly becoming one of the most investable themes of the next decade. As global droughts and infrastructure failures expose the fragility of water systems—from the Yangtze to the Colorado River—governments and industries are scrambling to adapt. With water demand projected to outstrip supply by 40% by 2030, and $114B needed annually just to maintain infrastructure, the investment case is clear. Forward-looking investors can gain exposure through five key strategies: (1) owning water infrastructure bottlenecks, (2) investing in industrial water efficiency tech, (3) backing digital monitoring and data platforms, 4) participating in private water-focused funds, and (5) acquiring water-rich farmland. These aren’t speculative ESG plays—they’re essential, revenue- generating assets that are undervalued in most portfolios.

The financial news has been dominated by the growth-to-value transition since the start of the year. We’ve long said there’s no purpose to having two separated camps. So rather than treating them as extremes, we can incorporate both hand-in-hand.

Solar energy has the largest share of power output and capacity growth within the renewable energy transition for most developed and developing economies. In a few countries such as Switzerland, where yours truly is located, hydropower is the largest source of renewable energy.