Special Reports provide in-depth FT coverage of countries around the world, as well as industries from tech to luxury and themes ranging from workplace health to entrepreneurship.

Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report on June 9 2026

We plan to include the following features (please note that this list is provisional):

Introduction

In its fifth year, the FT list of the fastest-growing companies in Africa, compiled in conjunction with Statista, provides a snapshot of some of the most dynamic and innovative businesses on the continent. The introduction will look at how the list has evolved over the years and the corporate landscape, both for fast-growing startups as well as more established businesses. 

Fintechs

Fintech companies appear prominently in this year’s list. This piece looks at the various models being offered and makes some predictions about a fast-evolving sector.

Fintech profile

An in-depth look at one of the fintech companies that is widening access to financial services in Africa.  

Food sector profile 

How one food company is adapting to difficult economic conditions and weathering economic shocks. 

Manufacturing

After fintech and software, the third-biggest category in the fastest-growing list is manufacturing proving that - despite several hurdles - there is money to be made in making things.

Solar energy profile

How one solar energy company has expanded across Africa.

Airline profile

One well known airline has overcome a series of challenges. 

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

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Phillip Church: +44 (0)7702 760 773, philip.church@consultants.ft.com 

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised that Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

Scoreboard: 

The Business of Football

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report on 11 June 2026

We plan to include the following features (please note that this list is provisional)

The biggest world cup ever (and the business case behind it)

A look at why 2026 could be the most commercially powerful World Cup yet: expanded format, more inventory, and more host-city spend. The story tests the hype with the numbers that matter, attendance, viewership, streaming reach, hospitality and ticketing yield.

How do you stage a mega-event across a continent?

A logistical deep-dive into running a World Cup across the US, Canada and Mexico: travel distances, base-camp planning, border frictions, team and fan movement, scheduling, security and stadium operations. 

The luxury fan: The cost to follow your country across America

This World Cup turns supporters into logistics managers and, increasingly, high-income consumers. We build a forensic “true cost” of attending (flights, hotels, tickets, internal travel, time off work), then report how fans from poorer countries hack the system: couch-surfing networks, community fundraising, debt.

The Cinderella economies

Expanded slots are rewriting football’s map, pulling new markets into the World Cup economy. We profile one “newcomer” nation as a business story: how diaspora scouting, dual-national pipelines and club pathways turn qualification into an economic event with prize money, sponsors and political capital at home.

Brazil: Export superpower, fading samba brand?

Brazil remains football’s most powerful talent factory, but its identity is now filtered through European clubs, agents and the transfer market. We investigate whether relentless exporting strengthens the Seleção as a global brand or dilutes the domestic ecosystem that once produced its distinctive style.

Turning the US into a football-loving nation

Can 2026 turn the World Cup into a lasting US football habit, or will it be a 39-day spike? And will Football ever usurp the position of US sports such as NFL, NBA and MLB?

The “part-time’’ World Cup star

A profile of a player from a debut or lesser-known World Cup nation (eg Cabo Verde, Curaçao or Uzbekistan) showing football’s hidden economic tiers: what it actually pays, where they play, and how precarious life can be outside the elite. The question is whether 2026 becomes a career-making shop window, translating into a better contract, sponsorship and long-term security.

Spain: Contenders in 2026, hosts in 2030

European champions Spain head into 2026 as one of the favourites, with a settled coach and a system that’s translating into results. The piece explores how that on-field push intersects with the off-field reality that Spain is already gearing up to co-host in 2030, including stadium and infrastructure choices, and the commercial strategy of selling “Spain” as both team and tournament platform.

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Holly Hileman +33 6 89 50 07 13, holly.hileman@ft.com

Yoon Sun Oh +33 (0) 6 6683 3154, yoonsun.oh@ft.com

Nikola Peros +33 (6) 2805 8404, nikola.peros@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

FT Business Education:

Financial Training

The Financial Times proposes to publish this Special Report on 15 June 2026

We plan to include the following pieces of content (please note this list is provisional):

Ranking of Masters in Finance courses

The FT’s 2026 ranking of Masters in Finance courses around the world, and analysis of the trends behind it.

First person - a student’s view on Masters in Finance

The Masters in Finance is a popular way to prepare for a career in financial services. Here, a student explains why they chose the course, what they are getting out of it, and what potential students should think about before applying. 

Private markets

The growth of private market investments has been one of the dominant trends in the financial sector in recent years. How are universities adapting their course content to prepare students to work in this fast-changing part of the market?

AI and financial training

Artificial intelligence is revolutionising the financial services industry, and anyone hoping to build a career in it will need to be comfortable working with the technology. We look at the most crucial skills to learn, and the different teaching approaches being used in university finance courses. 

Full time or part time?

Combining a part time Masters in Finance with a job can help to ease the financial burden, and provide valuable workplace experience at the same. But for some people, nothing beats the immersion of a full time course.  

Op-ed – how to make the most of your course

A recruiting manager from a leading financial institution explains how Masters in Finance graduates can make the best use of their course and qualification to secure a career in financial services. 

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

 Gemma Taylor-Kerr +44 (0)7841 368 753, gemma.taylor@ft.com

Robyn Carr +44 (0)7860 355 500, robyn.carr@ft.com

Marine Baranger +33 777 597 636, marine.baranger@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised that Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

Women in Business

The Financial Times proposes to publish this Special Report on 16 June 2026.

We plan to include the following pieces of content (please note: this list is provisional):

1. A number of countries have passed legislation mandating menstrual leave. Could the UK be next?

1. Profile of Carol Shanahan, English businesswoman and club chairperson of Port Vale Football Club 

1. Nordic countries have been trailblazers in policies to support working mothers, but if the aim was to increase those countries' declining birth rates, it has not worked. 

1. Sudden hair loss after chemotherapy or due to alopecia can be a challenging experience for any woman, but choosing the right head wear for the office can be especially difficult.

1. Much of the so-called great wealth transfer of $80tn is expected to pass to female spouses before it makes its way to the next generation, but women are under-served by the wealth management industry. 

1. How should women navigate networking at the start of their careers? 

1. Column: how flexibility has paid off for a woman in the defence industry.

1. How I Got Here: profile of a Bollywood fixer.

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Caitlin O’Sullivan +44 (0)7562 438784, caitlin.osullivan@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised that Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

Risk Management: Cyber Security

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report on 20th July 2026

We plan to include the following features (please note that this list is provisional):

Introduction: Where is the threat coming from? 

In 2025 there was a series of high profile attacks from ransomware actors - many of them teenagers - which brought companies such as UK retailer M&S to a halt. Are the cyber criminals of today the same as they were five years ago and if not, who are the new kids on the block and what are their motivations? 

Supply chain management 

Supply chains - including digital suppliers as well as third party companies - can be the soft underbelly of companies. What more can be done to guard against the growing number of attacks from this route? 

Social engineering and deepfakes 

Cyber criminals are adopting new tactics every day. From deepfaked images created by AI to phoney phone calls, what are the new tools being used to commit attacks? 

Boardrooms and top-down directives 

UK ministers have written to the CEOs of the largest companies to ask them to take their cyber security more seriously. Has cyber security become an essential part of corporate governance, or are too few companies taking its threat seriously? 

Deterrents 

Around half of companies that are targets of a cyber attack end up paying a ransom. In the UK, the government has proposed a ban on critical national infrastructure bodies paying ransoms to cyber criminals. Will this work and what other deterrents can be used to reduce attacks?

Legislation 

Governments across the world are racing to legislate in order to update regulatory frameworks about cyber security. Will current proposals such as the EU’s NIS2 prove to be sufficient? 

Insurance 

The global cyber insurance market is expected to reach $32bn by 2030. What should companies consider when deciding whether to buy cyber cover? 

Insider threat 

Thousands of North Koreans have been found to have infiltrated western companies in a bid to earn money and steal data for the DPRK regime. What more can companies do to guard against cyber threats from within their organisation? 

Column

What companies get right - and wrong - when it comes to cyber security. 

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Ben Tobin +44 (0) 7856 480 015,  ben.tobin@ft.com 

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

Investing in Wine

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report on 17 September 2026

We plan to include the following features (please note that this list is provisional):

Argentina 

Argentina’s wine industry has based its growth and success on the popularity of Malbec. But challenges are growing, as global drinking habits change and the peso strengthens. How is the wine industry - including big names such as Catena and Zuccardi - responding to these challenges? And how successful are attempts to diversify beyond Malbec and promote the industry through initiatives such as Cyber Wine Week?

Bordeaux / Burgundy 

A two year price crash during 2024-25 has offered opportunities to keen collectors in these two famous regions. Which wines offer good value? 

A Wine Trader’s View of Today’s Market 

Interview with a trader such as Gary Boom, the founder/CEO of Bordeaux Index, about how fine wine trading has changed in recent years and how younger investors view the market.

English Vineyards  

After a tough 2024 vintage and rising costs for vineyard owners, some winemakers put up For Sale signs. What has happened since? Will foreign winemakers buy more land as aging owners seek to cash out?

Italian wines

Italian wines get plenty of attention from wine lovers, but relatively few attract collectors. Which ones are worth considering for investors new to the country?

Storage

UK storage costs have risen just when the government has increased customs and VAT on wine. This has made holding lower value wines in external storage expensive. Should you clear out some of your lower priced wines?

Auctions

A review of the auction market for wine. Older collectors have increasingly put their large fine wine holdings up for sale.  

Wine Investment Schemes

Many investment schemes promise big or even steady returns based on past performance. But some of these businesses could be under financial pressure after years of declining fine wine prices and investor withdrawals. 

How to Sell

Buying is easy, but what about selling your fine wine? While collectors get plenty of help building their wine cellars, selling can require careful thought and planning. There are different routes to disposing of a selection of wines or an entire collection, including auctions, private sales or simply selling via a merchant. Associated costs may have to be balanced against efficiency and ease of exit.  

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Jonathan Florez  M +1 (917) 551 5041, jonathan.florez@ft.com

Gonzalo Rio +36 30 017 1562, gonzalo.martin.rio@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

Oceans

The Financial Times proposes to publish this Special Report on September 22, 2026

We plan to include the following pieces of content (please note:this list is provisional)

From global shipping lanes to the hidden ecology of the deep sea, the health of the ocean is increasingly linked with trade, security, climate and financial stability. This FT report, in print and online, will examine the political, economic and technological forces shaping the future of the world’s oceans.

Governance

Despite growing threats, a very small percentage of life at sea is currently protected. The High Seas treaty, which entered into force in January 2026 and has now been ratified by more than 80 countries, is designed to change that. But can it withstand geopolitical tensions and pressure from the fishing and deep-sea mining industries?

Shipping

The recent Iran war and the disruption to the Strait of Hormuz have been another reminder of the vulnerability of main shipping routes and global supply chains. What are the longer-term implications for the shipping industry, and can repeated shocks accelerate the search for alternative routes, greater resilience and new maritime strategies? 

Interview / Opinion: Expert commentary on ocean science or marine protection.

Financial risk

Recent research has highlighted the material financial risks associated with declining ocean health across sectors including energy, tourism, food systems, shipping and utilities. Are those risks being properly reflected in financial regulation, supervision, disclosure frameworks and monetary policy? Are policymakers still underestimating the economic consequences of ocean degradation?

Graphics

A visual look at the latest data on ocean warming, acidification and sea-level change — and what those trends mean for ecosystems, industry and coastal economies.

Mapping

The Seabed 2030 project aims to map the entire ocean floor by 2030, bringing together bathymetric data to build the clearest picture yet of the seabed. How can this effort — alongside satellite imagery, AI and other ocean-data initiatives — deepen our understanding of the seas, reveal new geological and ecological features, and support marine protection, including efforts to track unregulated fishing?

Technology

How low-Earth-orbit satellites are transforming connectivity at sea, improving maritime communications and strengthening the ability to monitor weather patterns, currents and vessel movements.

In pictures

A photographic essay on life underwater — from marine mammals to deep-sea species and little-seen habitats — and the role biodiversity plays in sustaining healthy ocean ecosystems.

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Oliver Higgs +44 (0)20 7775 6823, oliver.higgs@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised that Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.