Daily Update — Decemeber 15 2025
2026 Cleantech Trends; AI’s Role in Insurance; and Decoding Private Markets
Today is Monday, December 15, 2025, and here’s your curated selection of Essential Intelligence on global markets from S&P Global. Subscribe to be notified of each new Daily Update.
Energy Transition & Sustainability
S&P Global Energy Horizons Top Trends 2026
The US is charting its own course, driven by rapid AI growth and evolving energy priorities. Europe is working to reconcile diverse objectives, and China is consolidating its cleantech leadership to draw global markets closer. AI’s power demand is testing grid limits, revenue models and sustainability goals. The pace of progress will depend on unlocking capacity and flexibility, with grid modernization a key constraint on energy security and competitiveness.
Geopolitical alignment is reshaping the trajectories of renewables, hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, electric vehicles and climate policy, with supply chain and carbon accounting battles intensifying. China’s dominance in clean energy supply and technology is growing while Europe and the US navigate policy swings and market volatility.
Artificial Intelligence
Asian Insurance Forum: AI adoption demands strong public-private collaboration
AI enhances productivity, boosts social welfare and contributes to overall growth, Xiao Yuanqi, vice president of China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration, said Dec. 8 at the Asian Insurance Forum 2025. The insurance industry and regulators must collaborate to balance innovation and regulation as AI technologies evolve.
Insurance companies are increasingly incorporating AI into their processes. If deployed effectively, it can drive growth, foster financial inclusion, cut costs and provide tailored solutions for underserved populations, said Romain Paserot, deputy secretary general and head of capital and financial stability at the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.
Private Markets
Lost in translation: Decoding performance in the private markets
It can be easy to overlook how quickly private markets have evolved over the past 20+ years, growing and maturing into an industry characterized by deeper accountability and transparency. Standards and expectations have changed considerably, but technologies that drive robust portfolio monitoring and reporting have enabled private markets to respond to ever-adapting demands.
There’s further to go, however. On top of exponential growth, the industry is navigating a liquidity crisis, the rise of complex, hybridized strategies, and ongoing scrutiny from a wider array of investors and regulators. While technology and standardization have helped private markets to reach this point, data will play a crucial role in the industry’s next chapter as it progresses toward the operational sophistication seen in public markets.
In case you missed it
- Frozen boneless chicken legs shipped to north Asia have surpassed the price of skinless boneless breast meat destined for the Middle East for the first time since Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, began assessing these markets in June 2024, driven by diverging demand patterns and supply constraints.
- Despite substantial energy policy and trade uncertainty, the outlook for much of the US Gulf Coast's energy economy is "cautiously optimistic," albeit less so than in 2024, the Louisiana State University Center for Energy Studies said Dec. 10.
- Revenues at investment banks globally are expected to grow about 10% in 2025, led by a surge in equities trading.
Upcoming events
- Exploring Trends in the Booming Excess and Surplus Market — Additional Insights | December 16 (Webinar)
- Structured Finance US and Canada 2026 Outlook | January 15 (Webinar)
- 2026 US Technology Industry Credit Outlook | January 27 (Webinar)