It used to be said that the sun never sets on the British Empire.  Of course, empire building is so last 500 years.  Investment opportunities with soul are what’s important today – and it seems Scandinavia is cleaning up in that respect, where the sun never sets on opportunity.  Well, until approximately the 23rd of August, when the nights start drawing in.  But even in midwinter, when the sun barely rises at all, you can guarantee a sunny disposition for investors from Stavanger on the west coast of Norway to Hamina on Finland’s border with Russia, and all points in between.

 
In this issue, we pay our respects to Norway, Sweden, and Finland, their thriving economies; their responsible way of doing business; their embrace of new ideas and technology; their high quality of life.
 
With a population of just over 9m, Sweden is proof that you can actually have both – responsible and sustainable growth.  After emerging from the worst recession in Post War history, the Scandinavian nation’s economy ended 2010 as Europe’s strongest. 
 
As the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt recently said: "The challenge of attaining a green economy and sustainable society is huge, but there is no alternative.  I believe that putting a price on pollution or the use of our natural resources is the most effective way.”  In this issue, we learn how creating wealth, jobs, and saving the environment are all part of Sweden’s grand scheme.
 
Norway’s economy suffered the same economic shocks as everyone else in late 2008 and 2009.  But the FT recently cited it as one of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth funds making Norway Europe’s biggest equity investor and the world’s fourth largest, owning 2% of all European stocks.  It’s built on the excess profits from the three million barrels of oil that Norway pumps from the North Sea daily, and provides the backbone to the national economy and Norway’s nest egg for future generations.  If this isn’t a blue print for social capitalism, I don’t know what is.
 
Then there’s Finland, a nation caught between Russia and a hard place – the Baltic Sea.  Only, it’s not like that at all.  One influential magazine recently cited Finland as the World’s Most Liveable place – lauding it’s low crime rate and high quality of life.  The confidence there is palpable – from Helsinki to Seinäjoki, Turku, to Oulo – hi-tech industry and information based technology are driving a thriving economy.
 
Elsewhere in the magazine there’s an absorbing piece on captive insurance, where Mike Gibbs the head honcho of Cayman-based insurance management company Kensington explains how you can insure your own company and make money on the deal. 
 
We also have a report on the high end of airline travel – namely, private jets.  But hold on, we haven’t gone Bond Villain just yet!  Providing you shop around, you and your team can travel on a private charter cost effectively and with a timetable that suits you.
Emerging economies are back n the agenda and this issue we have FDI reports from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and location report from Croatia – arguably the best place for sun, sea, and seminars in the Mediterranean. 
 
Business with pleasure – that’s our way of doing things…