Ten years ago, the collapse of modern finance had been only narrowly averted; 12 months ago, Brexit uncertainty seemed like it might never release the economy from its grip. For the first time in years, there is a glimmer of optimism amid the gloom.

The chief executives, visionaries and financial services leaders who answered Financial News’s call for their predictions about what will happen by 2030, are not resting easy, however. They say that Brexit and its potential to reshape finance is far from a historical matter, while technology and climate change present historical challenges as epic as any their predecessors faced.