Corporate Finance Insights

Energy & Natural Resources

Energy’s Capital Projects Reset: Faster, Smarter, Leaner

As costs rise and delays abound, executives are rethinking their approaches to capital projects.

Utilities & Renewables

Energy Executive Agenda 2025: New Challenges, New Innovations

Our latest survey finds executives facing rising costs, surging demand, and a long to-do list.

Automotive

Renewable Fuels: Seizing the Generational Opportunity

Leading companies are separating signal from noise and investing in a strategy reflecting their strengths.

Corporate Strategy

Sustained Value Creation: The Test of the Best

Delivering net profits and real top-line growth year after year is a rare feat. The companies that achieve it reward their investors handsomely.

Corporate Strategy

Winning with AI

Five questions for every CEO.

Support Functions

To Avoid Activist Investors, Think Like Them

CFOs can prepare for—and reduce—activism risk with a strong strategy that is well executed and well communicated.

Aviation

Sustainable Aviation Fuel: The Supply Race Is On

European production is projected to fall nearly 20% short of mandate-driven demand by 2030, a big opportunity for global feedstock suppliers and refiners that invest now.

Strategy

What Do CFOs Want from Boards?

Most say more strategic discussions, less time on operations.

Corporate Strategy

A CFO’s Best Defense Against Activist Investors? Think Like Them

Activists are hunting for missing value. Being prepared for them makes sense, but the best move is to beat them at their own game.

Retail

The Global Odyssey: Asia-Pacific Consumer Product Companies’ Quest for International Expansion

As growth in domestic markets slows, Asian companies must expand internationally to keep thriving. Here are several approaches to success.

Strategy

Warren Buffett’s Portfolio Is Even Better Than You Think

The Oracle of Omaha famously focuses on returns for shareholders, but the companies that Berkshire Hathaway buys tend to outperform for other stakeholders, too.

Strategy

Financial or Stakeholder Value? For Shareholders, Both Are Best

Shareholders don’t have to choose between financial results and stakeholder happiness. Leading companies deliver both.

Aviation

Revenue Reigns Supreme for Industrial Shareholder Returns

A deep dive shows where revenue growth and margin changes are boosting (or hurting) returns across industrial and services sectors.

Advanced Manufacturing & Services

Great Expectations Boost Shareholder Appeal

Confidence about future growth has boosted total shareholder return for the technology industry, but doubts have dragged down value in other industries.

Advanced Manufacturing & Services

For Shareholders, Tech Is Tops

The Americas region and the technology sector are consistently wowing shareholders. How does your industry stack up?

Vector℠

How Generative AI Moonshots Can Reach Escape Velocity

Emerging leaders are pursuing bold AI strategies guided by customer needs and the right balance between speed and risk management.

Sustainability

Mere Compliance Won’t Be Enough as New Climate Disclosure Rules Hit

Annual financial reports will soon need to include regulated disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions, and companies need a strategic approach—fast.

Advanced Manufacturing & Services

Leading with Vision: Harnessing the Climate Policy Response

As global warming progresses, government intervention will grow bolder and a company’s ability to understand and navigate policy uncertainty more critical.

Strategy

Southeast Asia Conglomerates Fail to Keep Pace with Pure Plays

The anomaly is over. Conglomerates in Southeast Asia struggled to create value in volatile and low-growth environments and fell behind pure plays.

AI, Insights, and Solutions

What Every Executive Needs To Know About AI

As they develop their AI strategies, companies across industries already are making big moves, experimenting with intelligent agents, partnerships, and products.

Corporate Strategy

How Would Generative AI Be Used in Finance?

Explore the use cases with the highest potential.

Strategy

Creating Value by Thinking Like an Investor

Bain partners discuss how companies can continue to grow amid macroeconomic uncertainty.

Consumer Products

Overseas Ambition: Asia-Pacific Consumer Products Companies Use M&A to Accelerate Growth

A decade of M&A activity among Asia-Pacific’s 50 largest consumer products companies offers takeaways for firms looking to grow.

Banking

Not a Banking Crisis, but a Battle for Street Cred

Our health check shows how the largest banks fare in liquidity and market perception, and what they must do to improve their positions.

Banking

In a Time of Disequilibrium, Banks Face New Liquidity Challenges

Deposits could migrate as customers seek higher rates.

Accelerated Performance Transformation

Capital Is Expensive Again. Now What?

With growing interest rates, business managers need to allocate expenses towards long-term growth investments.

Risk, Finance and Regulation

Disequilibrium in Banking: Five Actions to Restore Balance

A new period of uncertainty will test banks’ ability to manage through financial and operational turbulence.

People and Organization

Dynamic Strategic Planning and Budgeting

Dynamic Strategic Planning and Budgeting is a method to help companies plan and invest during times of great uncertainty.

Corporate Strategy

Corporate Venture Capital

Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) is used by companies to make investments in external start-ups.

Sustainability

An Opportunity for a New Climate Strategy

Experts from Bain and Persefoni share what newly proposed climate disclosure rules mean for businesses and CFOs.

Support Functions

Dynamic Financial Planning for Real Events, Not the Calendar

Companies could benefit by replacing a fixed annual exercise with a flexible approach that responds to changing conditions.

Corporate Strategy

Dynamic Financial Planning for a Volatile World

Organize for real events, not for the calendar.

Corporate Strategy

The Normal Level of Inflation in the 2020s May Be Lower Than Current Projections

Strategy planners should consider scenarios that assume both low and high rates of inflation.

Corporate Strategy

Turning Inflation Disruption into Value with Six Strategic Steps

Our study determined the key moves that have helped companies in times of high inflation.

Corporate Strategy

Investor Relations: How to Get the Valuation You Deserve

Bain Partners Whit Keuer, Hubert Shen, and Jeff Haxer are joined by Thomas Aebischer, a Fortune 500 CFO, to discuss strategies for successful investor relations.