Invested: The OMFIF Podcast

Hard power and hard choices with debt and defence

As governments commit to long-term security strategies stretching to 2035, fiscal pressures are arriving much sooner and markets are already responding. What does sustained defence expenditure mean for sovereign debt, borrowing costs and economic priorities? Who ultimately pays, and over what timeline?

Udaibir Das, vice chair at OMFIF, is joined by Sarah Carlson, senior vice president of sovereign risk at Moody's Ratings and Ron Smith, emeritus professor of applied economics at Birkbeck, University of London. Together, they discuss the historical record on defence build-ups and growth; the fiscal arithmetic facing higher-debt sovereigns and whether political ambitions, fiscal realities and market expectations can ultimately be reconciled.

Circle’s Dante Disparte talks stablecoin policy

With US legislators mulling the Clarity Act, Europe reopening Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation for public consultation and the UK preparing its own cryptoasset regime, stablecoin policy is rapidly taking shape. Dante Disparte, Circle’s chief strategy officer joins Lewis McLellan, head of content at OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute, to break down some of the key policy debates in the stablecoin world.

Hard power and the sustainability-security nexus

Energy security and sustainability has moved to the centre of policy debate amid increasing geopolitical fragmentation and crises. Governments are balancing the need for resilient, affordable energy systems with the accelerating transition to net zero and intensifying competition over critical minerals and technologies. 

Anne Simpson, vice chair at OMFIF, is joined by Vladimir Gorshkov, macro policy strategist at State Street Investment Management to discuss how policy-makers, investors and industry leaders are navigating the energy security-sustainability nexus, and what it means for growth, competitiveness and long-term economic stability.

Breaking down a new index for tracking crypto

Crypto-assets are forming a growing part of institutional investors’ portfolios. As a result, there is a growing demand for equivalent sources of data and analytical tools that investors use to guide their trading in traditional markets.

Andrew Forson, president of DeFi Technologies and chief growth officer of Valour, joins Lewis McLellan, head of content at OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute, to discuss a new index that makes use of capital flows data in exchange-traded products to generate valuable information about the behaviour of crypto-asset investors.

This index is available to the OMFIF network in monthly newsletters and on our website here. 

Taking tokenised securities to a new level

Tokenisation is accelerating across capital markets and central securities depositories with their unique scale and role within capital markets have the opportunity to position themselves at the forefront of development.  

Thilo Derenbach, head of business development and commercialisation of digital initiatives at Clearstream, discusses their approach to the tokenisation of securities with head of content of OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute, Lewis McLellan. Progress in tokenisation is set to become a necessity if European capital markets are to remain globally competitive, particularly in light of developments in the US and east Asia. 

Women, business and balance: using data to advance inclusion

As global conversations around gender equality evolve, the focus is increasingly shifting from commitments to measurable outcomes. This includes how legal frameworks, institutional practices and representation translate into real economic inclusion for women, and how we can better understand both the progress made and the barriers that persist across countries and sectors.

Tea Trumbic, manager of the Women, Business and the Law project at the World Bank, joins Andrea Correa, head of research at OMFIF, to discuss the intersection of evidence-based policy-making and women’s economic empowerment. From personal reflections to the broader policy landscape, we examine where meaningful progress has been achieved, where gaps remain, the importance of language in shaping the debate and the link between gender equality and economic growth.

Download and read the OMFIF Gender Balance Index 2026.

European investment grade credit in a shifting macro regime

Conor Perry, economist at OMFIF, speaks with Edward Harrold, fixed income investment director at Capital Group, about the outlook for European investment grade credit in an evolving macro backdrop. They discuss the impact of geopolitics on credit markets, inflation and interest rate expectations, as well as Capital Group’s approach to bottom-up investment management.

The path towards women's leadership

The representation of women in leadership, particularly in the financial sector, has been progressing over the years. This has been alongside mentorship programmes, networking platforms and career path support systems that institutions have been putting in place to advance a more equitable gender workplace. 

Shriyanka Hore, board member at London Women’s Forum, joins Andrea Correa, head of research at OMFIF, to discuss how institutional initiatives, policies and networking opportunities have shaped the path of women in leadership positions, and which areas still need support to achieve gender balance. 

Nature loss: the insurance protection blind spot

As natural disasters accelerate in both frequency and severity around the world, it is becoming increasingly difficult for insurers to provide protection to people and businesses alike. Regula Hess, financial sector engagement lead at WWF Switzerland, and Arne Holzhausen, head of outreach at Allianz Investment Management, joins Sarah Moloney, editorial director at OMFIF, to discuss the climate insurance protection gap and how it threatens global financial stability. They explore the key findings of a new white paper published by WWF. ‘Tackling the insurance protection gap: leveraging climate and nature to increase resilience’ finds that the widening gap between total economic losses after a natural disaster and the proportion that is insured is becoming a material concern for financial regulators, central banks and governments. The conversation digs into why nature loss and the degradation of ecosystems are central to the issue and looks at how the impacts go far beyond risks to property.

The emerging markets asset class amid the Middle East energy shock

Tara Hariharan, managing director and head of research at NWI Management, joins Mark Sobel, chief economist and vice chair at OMFIF to discuss emerging market investing.  They explore how to manage the volatility associated with current market volatility in light of developments in the Middle East while combining those with views and assessments of underlying EM country economic developments.