Gillian Riley joins us in the studio for a candid interview as she marks her fifth anniversary as the head of Tangerine — a pioneer in digital banking in Canada. She’ll tell us about the evolution of digital banking and her experiences as a woman in the corporate world and how that inspired her to found the Scotiabank Women Initiative five years ago. Also, she gives some leadership lessons she's picked up along the way.  For more on the Scotiabank Women Initiative, read this article featuring...

You’ve probably seen the ads or prompts at online checkouts offering to let you break up your purchase into multiple instalments. This is a new trend in payments called buy now, pay later or BNPL. And a lot of consumers might be wondering, ‘What’s the catch?’ Laura Scheck, Scotiabank’s Vice President of Credit Cards, joins this episode to give us a crash course on this emerging way of paying. Scheck recently helped launch the Bank’s own offering, called SelectPay, and explains exactly how...

The Bank of Canada announced Wednesday that it is holding its key interest rate at 5% — as widely expected — for the third consecutive time amid signs that past interest rate increases are dampening economic activity. So, does this mean that the central bank is finally done with rate hikes? And when might interest rates start to fall?    Scotiabank’s Chief Economist Jean-François Perrault is back to explain why the central bank’s decision was a no-brainer, where rates could go in the new year...

With the holidays just about here, people's minds aren’t just on buying gifts. They’re also thinking about charitable giving. That’s especially true this year with many feeling the strain of high interest rates and inflation. Nation Cheong, Vice President of Community Opportunities & Mobilization at the United Way of Greater Toronto, and Malcolm Burrows, Head of Philanthropic Advisory Services at Scotia Global Wealth Management, are our guests today. They’ll break down the state of giving...

Black Friday is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season. So, what can consumers expect this year as they search for deals? George Doumet is our guest this episode. He’s a consumer products analyst at Scotiabank. He chats with Armina Ligaya to break down what the retail landscape looks like as it gears up for one of its busiest seasons. And he’ll even tell us what Taylor Swift, the Paw Patrol and weight loss drugs might have to do with all this.    Key moments this episode:  1:09...

The term ‘supply chain issues’ conjures visions of empty shelves, delays and high prices. And it’s not just an inconvenience for customers, it’s costing companies, too. That’s where the concept of nearshoring, or friendshoring can help. This episode, we're getting a nearshoring 101 lesson from Rodrigo Echagaray, the Global Head of Product Management and Head of Latin America Equity Research for Scotiabank. He’ll break down what exactly the term means, what implications it has beyond supply...

For many people, a credit score is a mysterious thing. But that number can have a huge impact on our lives. In this episode that originally aired in back in April, Laura Scheck, Vice President of Credit Cards at Scotiabank talks to Natalie Nanowski from our Perspectives Newsroom team to help bust some common myths around the credit score as well as explain the basics. What number is good, what’s bad, what will actually decrease your score and, of course, tips on how to improve it.    Key...

Taxes?! Isn’t that a March or April thing? According to our guest this episode, a little bit of planning now will save you some headaches come spring. Robbie Brown is the Director of Advanced Planning and Services and the Head of Wealth Management Taxation at Scotia Wealth Management, and he’s got helpful tips on everything from key dates, to maximizing government grants, to how to best use the new First Home Savings Account even if you don’t plan on buying a house in the near future.  For...

To no one’s surprise, the Bank of Canada held its key interest rate steady at 5% for a second consecutive time as recent data points to easing inflation, consumers cutting back on retail spending and a slowing economy in general. However, with inflation still at 3.8% — above the central bank’s target of 2% — it’s unclear how long this pause will last.  Scotiabank’s Chief Economist Jean-François Perrault is back this episode to break down what drove the Bank of Canada’s latest decision, why...

October is Small Business Month, so this episode we're taking the pulse of this important sector in Canada. The challenges faced are numerous, including lockdown-era loans coming due, inflation, persistently high interest rates and labour issues. But there are also reasons for optimism. Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and Jascha Jabes, Vice President of Small Business at Scotiabank, join Perspectives’ Armina Ligaya to break down the hurdles as...

Electric vehicle sales around the world have been growing exponentially over the last few years. That’s good news for the environment. It also means potential financial opportunities for countries that produce these cars and parts. But is Canada already behind in the electric vehicle (or EV for short) production race? Rebekah Young, Head of Inclusion and Resilience Economics at Scotiabank, and Economist John Fanjoy just released a new report on the subject. They’re our guests this episode and...

This episode we explore the latest ups and downs of the Canadian real estate market with returning guests John Webster, Scotiabank’s Head of Real Estate Secured Lending and Scotiabank Economist Farah Omran. They talk housing affordability, the impact of the hikes and holds from the Bank of Canada, where things might be headed and more.    Key moments this episode:  1:20 — Before we start, some news from John  2:11 — Farah and John both give their headlines to sum up the state of the...

To mark Orange Shirt Day (now also referred to as National Day of Truth and Reconciliation) on September 30, we're handing the mic over for a special episode of our Leadership Series. Our guest is author and creator of Orange Shirt Day, Phyllis Webstad. Hosting the conversation is Scotiabank’s Sloane Muldoon.   Phyllis talks about her new book: Every Child Matters, ten years of Orange Shirt Day and opens up about her own journey towards healing.  This episode contains accounts of the violence...

What is an investor to do when the future is so unclear?  When will interest rates and inflation settle? What about talk of a recession? Or a potential soft landing? Maybe a soft-ish landing?  Andy Nasr, the Chief Investment Officer at Scotia Wealth Management is back this episode to shed some light on how investors might best navigate these unusual times, give some insight on what’s creating them in the first place and maybe keep us all grounded in the meantime.    Key moments this...

You’ve probably heard of ChatGPT. It’s a chatbot that uses a form of artificial intelligence called generative AI. And it can do everything from suggest wine pairings to write a cover letter.  But how exactly should we be using this new technology in the workplace? Our guest this episode is Yannick Lallement, Vice President, Corporate Functions Analytics and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at Scotiabank. He’ll shed some light on how people are already using generative AI in the...

As most economists predicted, the Bank of Canada has held its key interest rate steady at 5%. Statistics Canada announced last week that the Canadian economy shrank 0.2% at an annualized rate in the second quarter – very far from the 1.5% growth the Bank of Canada had predicted in its last forecast.  The Perspectives podcast returns for another season with a familiar guest, Scotiabank Chief Economist Jean-François Perrault. He takes host Armina Ligaya through Bank of Canada Governor Tiff...

The First Home Savings Account, or FHSA, is a new type of registered plan available to Canadians. This episode we’re explaining the ins and outs of the FHSA and how you might be able to take advantage. Kingsley Chak, the Senior Vice President of Deposits, Savings and Investments at Scotiabank, is our guest. He’ll also give us a refresher on all those other savings account acronyms you’ve heard of but might not be 100% clear on. So, you’ll come away knowing the ABCs of TFSAs, RRSPs, RESPs and...

In this episode, we bring you another instalment in the occasional series where leaders at Scotiabank interview experts on an issue that resonates with them. Today, you'll hear a conversation about data ethics hosted by Grace Lee, Scotiabank’s Senior Vice President, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, with Anton Ovchinnikov, Distinguished Professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University and a Scotiabank Scholar of Customer Analytics. They discuss what exactly data ethics means,...

On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada increased its benchmark rate a quarter percentage point, to 4.75%. That’s the highest it’s been since 2001. A combination of stubborn inflation and an economy that just keeps humming along explains why the Bank decided it needed to hike again after a pause of several months. Scotiabank’s Chief Economist Jean-François Perrault is back this week to walk us through the decision, the reasoning behind it, why it was the right thing to do, and to explain what it...

Summer is right around the corner and Canadians are not only thinking about how they’re going enjoy the warm weather, but also how much it’s going to cost them. Scotiabank’s Consumer Products Analyst George Doumet returns to the show to talk to Perspectives’ Armina Ligaya about where prices may still be up, where they’re going down and a look at the bigger picture when it comes to retail heading into vacation season.    Key moments this episode:  0:57 — What is top of mind for consumer and...

So many aspects of our lives happen online these days, from shopping to work to banking, and digital privacy is more important than ever. Our guest this week is Aggie Zander, Vice President of Governance, Enterprise Programs and Global Privacy Officer at Scotiabank. She’ll break down some of the laws governing customer privacy here in Canada, what we should keep an eye out for when asked to accept one of those terms of service agreements and what the Bank is doing to protect their customers’...

The word recession is hard to avoid these days. Despite the term being on the tips of everyone’s tongues, there still seems to be confusion about what it means. Is there going to be one? How bad will it be? How do you even define the term? Apparently even that old, go-to definition that a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth might not be entirely correct. So in this episode we're re-airing from November, we go back to basics for a primer on this seemingly nebulous...

In this episode, we bring another installment in the occasional series where leaders at Scotiabank interview experts on an issue that resonates with them. Today, you'll hear a conversation about economic resilience for newcomers to Canada hosted by Scotiabank’s Group Head of Canadian Banking, Dan Rees, with the CEO of charity Windmill Microlending, Claudia Hepburn. They talk about what newcomers to Canada need to be successful, the roles employment and housing play, some surprising stats on...

As we roll into the spring, our real estate experts are back to give us their take on the state of Canada’s housing market. Scotiabank Economist Farah Omran and John Webster, Scotiabank's Head of Real Estate Secured Lending, tell us why they’re hesitant to use terms like recovery or stabilization, why supply is still a huge issue, where things may be headed as we go into the busy season and much more.    Key moments this episode:  1:12 — Summarizing the state of the market  3:00 — What does...

Scotiabank economist Laura Gu is back to break down even more common and not-so-common economic terms you might be hearing in the news. We’re talking curves, yields, spreads, even Goldilocks. All in an effort to help you better understand the world of finance. Or just impress your friends.  Looking for another vocabulary-expanding economic primer? Check out 11 economic terms to better understand the news.  Key moments this episode:   1:07 — Term 1: Labour market  2:48 — Term 2: Phillips...