ESG Talks

In this episode of ESG Talks, Arianne Schreier from KBRA’s ESG team is joined by Donna Halverstadt, a Managing Director on KBRA’s Insurance team. Arianne and Donna chat about Donna’s recent research report titled, “AI in Insurance: The Future is Now.” This report takes a deep dive into how AI is transforming the insurance industry, the opportunities it presents, and the risks insurers need to manage. AI is becoming an increasingly important tool in insurance, with applications spanning underwriting, claims processing, fraud detection, and customer service. KBRA’s research highlights AI’s potential to boost efficiency, improve productivity, and strengthen customer relationships. But at the same time, it underscores some key risks—such as regulatory challenges, data privacy concerns, and bias in AI-driven decision-making.

In this episode of ESG Talks, Arianne Schreier from KBRA’s ESG team is joined once again by Gordon Kerr, European Macro Strategist and host of KBRA’s Conversations in European Credit podcast. As a follow up to a previous episode titled “Unpacking the New Digital Euro with the Central Bank of Ireland”, Arianne and Gordon discuss KBRA’s perspective on the ECB’s new digital euro initiative. They dive into the risks, opportunities, and implications of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) from a credit and macroeconomic standpoint.

In this episode of ESG Talks, Arianne Schreier from KBRA’s ESG team is joined by Jason Roche from the Central Bank of Ireland. Jason, who heads up the team within the digital euro unit at the Central Bank of Ireland, and Arianne discuss the digital landscape in the euro area, and specifically, the ECB’s new digital euro. When introduced, the digital euro will impact everything from banking to liquidity to cybersecurity and essentially, will impact how we pay for things. The digital euro represents an exciting new dynamic for the marketplace, and we are pleased to bring to you a conversation on the latest new technology.

In this episode of ESG Talks, Arianne Schreier, an Associate Director on KBRA’s ESG team, interviews Ryan Mensing, Associate General Counsel on KBRA’s Regulatory Affairs team. Arianne and Ryan explore the rapidly evolving landscape of ESG ratings, focusing on the UK’s proposal to regulate ESG rating providers and the future of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) ESG agenda in the U.S. They discuss why these changes are important for investors and how they might shape the global ESG framework. Notably, KBRA does not offer ESG ratings products—instead, within KBRA’s credit ratings, the focus is exclusively on ESG factors that are directly relevant to credit risk analysis. 

In this episode of ESG Talks, Arianne Schreier, an Associate Director on KBRA’s ESG team, chats with Gordon Kerr, Head of European Research and host of KBRA’s Conversations in European Credit podcast. Arianne and Gordon discuss a recent KBRA research report, “Offshore Wind: Opportunities and Challenges to Irish Development.” The report explores Ireland’s renewable energy market and how the country's ambitious renewable energy targets could become a realistic proposition in the coming years. Offshore wind energy has already played a prominent role in Danish, UK, and other European markets, and it now offers an emerging opportunity for transforming Ireland's energy landscape. However, significant obstacles remain, including political, regulatory, and commercial challenges. The podcast conversation covers key takeaways from the report and implications for the future.