They call it ’blue gold.’ Around the world, demand for water is exploding. By 2050, at least one in four will live in a country suffering from water shortages – creating ideal conditions for a new market. Hedge funds and investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and UBS are all rushing to invest billions in anything related to water. A real monopoly of water has begun. This is a battle taking place on many fronts and the fate of nearly 10 billion inhabitants around the world depends on its outcome.