Welcome to the debut episode of The Arbitrage, a Solar Group production. In this inaugural session, we deconstruct the myth that finance is different depending on where you are in the world. Whether you are at the Adjamé market in Abidjan, a trade hub in Jakarta, or a high-tech firm in Silicon Valley, the "rules of the game" remain the same.

Finance is not a foreign language; it is a universal grammar built on four pillars: Time, Risk, Trust, and Allocation.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Power of Constraints: How finance acts as a mechanism to release temporary constraints, allowing entrepreneurs to unlock their potential. 

• The Myth of Geography: Why the "informal" finance of the Global South—from Ivoirian cashew traders to Haitian mango exporters—is often more sophisticated and resilient than traditional models.

• The Art of Decision Making: Why banking is an act of maturity and lucidity, not just a calculation. We discuss why a good banker is like a football referee—making decisions within a clear, pre-established framework. 

• Beyond Guarantees: Understanding that the best credit is one repaid through cash flow and successful projects, not through the seizure of collateral. 

Join us as we bridge the gap between traditional wisdom and modern innovation. At Solar Group, we believe that finance is done before it is said.

Host: Barnabé FRANÇOIS

Production: Solar Group

Theme: The Universal Grammar of Finance