Cian O’Murchu, head of strategic transformation, Mireia Guisado-Parra, pre-validation product owner at Swift and Julien Lasalle, head of cashless payment monitoring at Banque de France, join Lewis McLellan, editor of OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute. Together, they discuss the implementation of pre-validation – a new tool developed to reduce the number of errors in payments and restore people's trust in their ability to safely pay for goods and services online.

Stefan Nanu, head of public debt management and state treasury at the ministry of finance of Romania, joins Burhan Khadbai, head of content at OMFIF’s Sovereign Debt Institute, to discuss Romania’s long-awaited inaugural green bond, which was the most successful ever euro-denominated bond in this format by an emerging market issuer. As well as the record-breaking deal itself, they also cover Romania’s ambitious transition plan and the key features of its green bond framework

Monique Newiak, deputy unit chief, inclusion and gender, and Mariarosaria Communale, economist at the International Monetary Fund, join Arunima Sharan, senior research analyst at OMFIF’s Economic and Monetary Policy Institute, to discuss the state of gender balance in financial institutions. They examine the IMF’s gender strategy, the macro-criticality of gender equality and findings from their recent publication, 'Who are Central Banks? Gender, Human Resources, and Central Banking'.  The...

Max Castelli, head of strategy, sovereign institutions, and Philipp Salman, director of strategy and advice, global sovereign markets, UBS Asset Management, join Taylor Pearce, senior economist at OMFIF, to discuss what’s in store for global public investors in 2024. The discussion identifies opportunities and risks for reserve managers and sovereign wealth funds amid evolving market dynamics, including falling inflation, headwinds to China’s economy and a resilient US economy albeit looming...

Environmental, social and governance data is integral to scaling up sustainable finance and investment. With increasing regulation and demand for information, it’s also crucial for organisations and businesses. Sherry Madera, chief executive officer of CDP, joins John Orchard, OMFIF chief executive officer, to discuss how data can improve the quality of a company, how datasets are evolving to support the mobilisation of institutional investor demand in ESG assets and the importance of data to...

Siegfried Ruhl, hors classe adviser to the director-general for budget at the European Commission, joins Burhan Khadbai, head of content at OMFIF’s Sovereign Debt Institute, to discuss upcoming priorities for the European Union as it continues its rapid journey towards sovereign status in the capital markets. They discuss the EU’s recent launch of quoting commitments for its primary dealers and the EU Issuance Service, as well as plans to launch a repo facility and futures market. The...

Gregory Makoff, author of new book Default: The Landmark Court Battle over Argentina's $100 Billion Debt Restructuring joins OMFIF US Chair Mark Sobel to discuss Argentina's nearly two-decades-long sovereign debt litigation following the 2001 default. Both review the spectacular blow-up of the Argentine economy, the litigation's timeline and the US government's role at various junctures.   You can find the transcript of this podcast here. 

To transition to a sustainable economy, new investment models are needed. Financial flows into emerging economies must be also scaled. Blended finance and public-private collaboration will be integral in supporting increased investment and mitigating risk perception. David Carlin, head of risk, United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative, joins OMFIF’s Emma McGarthy, head, Sustainable Policy Institute, to discuss transition finance, takeaways from COP28 and his expectations for...

Vera Songwe, a non-resident senior fellow in the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution and co-chair of the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, joins Katerina Atkins, programme coordinator at OMFIF’s Sustainable Policy Institute, to explore the key outcomes and challenges from the COP28 climate summit. They discuss the agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, the conclusion of the first global stocktake, the loss and damage fund, as well as the...

Max Castelli, head of strategy, sovereign institutions, and Philipp Salman, director of strategy and advice, global sovereign markets, UBS Asset Management, join Taylor Pearce, senior economist at OMFIF, to discuss macroeconomic challenges marked by exogenous shocks. They explore the short- and long-term outlook for inflation and the potential for a 'higher-for-longer' interest rate environment. The discussion touches on the equilibrium real interest rate, global factors influencing...

Katie-Ann Wilson, Managing Director of OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute is joined by Peter Faykiss Director, Digitalization, Central Bank of Hungary, Imre Kocsis, Assistant Professor, Budapest University of Technology, Laszlo Gonczy Associate Professor, Budapest University of Technology and Chris Ostrowski, CEO and founder of SODA to explore what we mean by programmable money and how it could impact how we use money in society. They also discuss the BIS’s Project Rosalind and why it is...

The International Monetary Fund's Ukraine team joins OMFIF to discuss the stabilisation of the Ukrainian economy over the past year. They assess the critical role played by the Fund's programme and foreign financing for Ukraine, as well as Ukraine's progress on combatting corruption and strengthening the domestic financial system. Speakers:Mark Sobel, US Chairman, OMFIFNatan Epstein, Deputy Mission Chief for Ukraine, IMFGavin Gray, Mission Chief for Ukraine, IMFSanaa Nadeem, Deputy Mission...

There has been a rise in the number of people needing humanitarian assistance over recent years, resulting in disaster response public funding having to tackle immediate and longer-term socio-economic challenges. Gareth Owen, humanitarian director of Save the Children UK and Simon Inglis, partner, grants & relief funds management at EY join OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute editor, Lewis McLellan, to discuss the importance of accountably for grant management and how new technology can...

In the second part of a special mini-series on the European retail government bond market, Burhan Khadbai, head of content at OMFIF’s Sovereign Debt Institute, speaks to senior officials at the Hungarian, Irish and Romanian debt management offices about how they are developing their retail bond programmes. Zoltán Kurali, chief executive officer of Hungary’s debt management office (ÁKK), Murray McCarter, head of retail debt at Ireland’s national treasury management agency and Stefan Nanu, head...

In the first of two parts in a special mini-series on the European retail government bond market, Burhan Khadbai, head of content at OMFIF’s Sovereign Debt Institute, speaks to senior officials at the Belgian and Portuguese debt management offices about their record-breaking retail bond programmes this year. Rui Amaral, board member, Portugal’s debt management office (IGCP) and Maric Post, director of treasury and capital markets at the Belgian debt agency, join OMFIF to cover how both DMOs...

Diala Hawila, Knowledge Policy and Finance Centre programme officer at International Renewable Energy Agency, speaks with Katerina Atkins, programme coordinator at OMFIF, about the energy transition investment required under the 1.5°C scenarios, geographical aspects and key financing tools. They both discuss the importance of innovative instruments for under-invested countries, the need to expand the definition of risk in energy asset investments and the urgency of international collaboration...

Whether or not they eventually go through with it, virtually every central bank will, sooner or later, at least consider issuing a digital currency. Whatever their aims and strategic priorities, they will need to go through a process of strategy formation, examination and experimentation. This process is fraught with challenges and must be carefully constructed to ensure all stakeholders are kept abreast of developments. Tom Bruls, head of professional services for CBDC at G+D, joins DMI...

Max Castelli, head of strategy, sovereign institutions, and Phillip Salman, director of strategy and advice, global sovereign markets, UBS Asset Management, spoke with Taylor Pearce, senior economist at OMFIF, about financial liquidity. They looked at how institutional investors have balanced liquidity needs with their pursuit of higher returns over the past decade and how these strategies are changing. They also discussed central banks' asset purchasing programmes on excess liquidity and how...

Barry Eichengreen, professor of economics and political science at the University of California, Berkeley, and Chima Simpson-Bell, economist in the African Department at the International Monetary Fund, joined Taylor Pearce, senior economist at OMFIF, to discuss the rise of gold as a central bank reserve asset. OMFIF’s Global Public Investor 2023 report revealed a resurgence in demand for traditional reserve assets, including gold. The podcast explores the structural trends behind the...

Tibor Tóth and Péter Banai, state secretaries of the Hungarian ministry of finance, joined Christopher Garnett, senior adviser to OMFIF’s Sovereign Debt Institute, for a conversation on the economic outlook in Hungary. They cover labour market reform, increasing and diversifying foreign direct investment inflows and export diversification and fiscal consolidation following the pandemic. They also discuss developments in the disbursement of European Union structural and Recovery and Resilience...

Barnabás Virág, deputy governor of Magyar Nemzeti Bank, joins David Marsh, OMFIF chairman, for a conversation on the economic outlook in Hungary. Their discussion covers the country’s short- and long-term economic trajectory. They cover inflation and monetary policy, improving productivity and competitiveness, foreign direct investment, export diversification, progress on the sustainable agenda and Hungary’s prospects for joining Europe’s economic and monetary union.  

The cryptoasset class, while battered by scams and scandals, remains a valuable and exciting asset class. But if regulated mainstream financial institutions are to interact with it seriously, they need high-quality infrastructure. Duncan Trenholme and Simon Forster, TP ICAP's global co-heads of digital assets join Digital Monetary Institute editor, Lewis McLellan, to discuss the importance of trusted institutional relationships when investing in the cryptoasset ecosystem.

In this OMFIF podcast, Vítor Constâncio, former governor of the Banco de Portugal and vice president of the European Central Bank from 2010-18, joins Ellie Groves, managing director, Economic and Monetary Policy Institute at OMFIF. They discuss the ECB’s September rate hike, the macroeconomic environment in Europe – including the difference in inflation between Portugal and Germany – and the fiscal framework that needs to be implemented to combat challenges.