Comparing Chinese and Anglo-American public pension system

Professor Jiye Hu, China Aging Finance Forum, and Philip May, director of retirement income solutions at Capital Group, join OMFIF’s Pierre Ortlieb to discuss various similarities and differences between the Chinese and Anglo-American pension systems. They discuss structural differences, such as the emphasis on second-pillar tensions in the US and Europe, as well as broader themes including the changing demographic environment, lessons from Anglo-American retirement systems and the potential for investment diversification.

Ahead of the ECB

In the latest episode, Danae Kyriakopoulou speaks to Ricardo Reis, Arthur Williams Philip professor at the London School of Economics. They compare the causes of and outlook for inflation in the US and euro area and discuss how fiscal stimulus packages will feed into the European Central Bank’s reaction function ahead of its monetary policy meeting on 10 June. They explore the longer-term implications of continued monetary policy accommodation on fiscal-monetary policy interactions and potential tensions, including the question of central bank independence. They also take a deep look into the evolving nature of central bank communication strategies and how the ECB’s track record has differed across its policy communications from inflation and quantitative easing to changes in sovereign debt spreads.

Fireside chat with the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis

Over the last year, the US government and the Federal Reserve have taken a number of fiscal, monetary and policy actions to help steady both the US economy and global dollar liquidity. James Bullard, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, joins David Marsh, chairman of OMFIF, for a virtual discussion on the Fed’s policies, an outlook for the US economy and global consequences of the pandemic.

To register for the OMFIF Fed week, visit out website here: https://www.omfif.org/fedweek/

To watch the full event, visit out website here: https://www.omfif.org/videos/fireside-chat-with-the-federal-reserve-bank-of-st-louis/

Cloud as an enabler of financial inclusion

Gender diversity in leadership and decision-making in the financial system

Helena Adegas, head of markets, Banco de Portugal, and Adriana Perelli, managing director global client management and head of ESG for BNY Mellon’s European Bank, speak to Emma McGarthy, programmes manager in sustainable policy, OMFIF, about the importance of gender diversity in decision-making for better investment returns and risk management. They discuss the role of central banks in efforts to bring women into leadership positions, how this can be achieved, the benefits and skills women bring to these positions and diversity in the Eurosystem.

Innovation and evolution in payments and the role of central banks

The payments landscape is changing rapidly, driven by new and evolving technology, non-traditional players and new payment instruments. At the same time, central banks’ core objectives and functions – financial stability, monetary policy, banking supervision and financial services access – haven’t changed. Against this backdrop, central banks are evaluating and/or deploying new digital settlement solutions, including faster payments systems and central bank digital currencies. This discussion will explore these key topics, focusing on the role of the private sector, central banks and the importance of competition and innovation for the new payments landscape.

Panelists:

• Charlotte Hogg, CEO, Visa Europe
• Judith Obholzer, Managing Executive Public Policy, Vodacom
• Peter Conti-Brown, Assistant Professor, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
• Thomas Lammer, Deputy Head of Secretariat, CPMI, Bank for International Settlements
• Oded Salomy, Director of Payments Systems and Settlement, Bank of Israel

Moderated by Bhavin Patel, Senior Economist and Head of Fintech Research, OMFIF

Accessing investments in India

As India’s economy slowly returns to growth, recovery is expected to gather pace as consumers and investors shake off the effects of the pandemic. Sujoy Bose, chief executive officer of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, discusses the investment landscape and the opportunities present in India.

In conversation: The nature of money – Will currencies go digital and what does this mean for the euro?

Natacha Valla, dean of the School of Management and Innovation at Sciences Po in Paris and former deputy director of monetary policy at the European Central Bank, and Thomas Mayer, founding director of the Flossbach von Storch Research Institute, discuss the concept of money and the way it is changing as a result of the pandemic and shifts in the world economy. The discussion with David Marsh, chairman of OMFIF, draws on themes from Le futur de la monnaie (The future of money), a new book by Valla and Michel Aglietta which will shortly be available in English. They examine prospects for a digital euro, which both experts see as necessary to respond to forthcoming competition from other digital currencies, especially the renminbi.

Retail CBDCs: Policy implications and rollout strategies

Taking stock: ECB strategy review and monetary policy challenges

Philip Lane, chief economist and member of the executive board of the European Central Bank, discusses the current status of the ECB’s monetary policy strategy review and challenges for monetary policy in the current environment.

This discussion is taken from a virtual live broadcast with Philip Lane.

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Presentation slides
Podcast – Ahead of the ECB
Podcast – ECB future direction and central bank independence