The OMFIF Podcast

In conversation with Øystein Olsen, former governor of Norges Bank

Øystein Olsen, governor of Norges Bank for 11 years up to 28 February, speaks to David Marsh, OMFIF chairman, about the lessons he has learned over four decades in public service, including in helping to steer the world’s largest sovereign fund. Olsen, a veteran energy economist and formerly Norway’s statistics supremo, has become a member of the OMFIF advisory council. Norges Bank is responsible for managing the Government Pension Fund Global, with $1.3tn invested through Norges Bank Investment Management. In this podcast, Olsen, who handed over to Deputy Governor Ida Wolden Bache, speaks about his long-term role in developing the fund, its investment policies in supporting corporate governance and sustainability, Norway’s place in European energy, the future of oil and gas, and the 2020 controversy over the appointment of NBIM’s new chief executive.

Fireside chat with Wally Adeyemo

Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the US Treasury, joins Mark Sobel, US chair, OMFIF, for a broad discussion on the US’ fiscal outlook. Their discussion will take in everything from international comparisons of recovery, sanctions review and Afghanistan.

25 years of the MPC

Andrew Sentance, former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, speaks to Neil Williams, OMFIF’s chief economist, on the 25th anniversary of the MPC. With the committee a ‘quarter century not out’, Sentance shares his experience of being one of the more outspoken members. While covering the MPC’s numerous runs scored since 1997, he also navigates the dropped catches and the strategy needed to make the next 25 years even more impressive.

Strategies and policies for the clean energy transition in Germany

Philipp Steinberg, director general for economic policy and energy and ministry coordinator for sustainable development in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, joins Emma McGarthy, head of OMFIF’s Sustainable Policy Institute, to discuss Germany’s policies and strategies for reaching net zero. They touch upon regulatory frameworks – including Germany’s relationship with the EU taxonomy – the implications of the geopolitical crisis in Ukraine for renewable energy development and how capital can be reallocated towards clean energy.

Moving beyond ESG

Anne Simpson, newly appointed global head of sustainability at Franklin Templeton, joins Emma McGarthy, head of OMFIF’s Sustainable Policy Institute, to discuss the need for a more holistic approach to environmental, social and governance issues. They examine the convergence of standards and the impact of the newly created International Sustainability Standards Board, the role of the financial sector in achieving net zero and how to reallocate capital towards ESG investments. They explore how to prevent greenwashing, active ownership versus divestment and the increasing role that labelling is playing in investment decisions.

Quantum computing and the threat to standard cryptography

The advent of widely available quantum computing poses an existential threat to present techniques and standards of cryptography. William Gee, partner, innovation and digitalisation, PWC, and Andrew Cheung, president and chief executive officer of 01 Communique Lab, join Lewis McLellan, editor of OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute, to discuss the implications of a new, more powerful type of computing that will render present cryptographic standards obsolete. They explore the consequences of the proliferation of quantum computing, the risks it poses and the steps being taken to mitigate them.

Is CBDC a necessary component of a digitalised capital markets infrastructure?

OMFIF's Philip Middleton, Digital Monetary Institute chair, sits down with Denis Beau, deputy governor at Banque de France, to discuss whether central bank digital currencies are a necessary component of a digitalised capital markets infrastructure. This podcast is taken from our 'Future of capital markets' report launch on 31 March 2022. Watch more here.

How can blockchain and new technologies support ESG?

Bénédicte Nolens, head of the BIS Innovation Hub Hong Kong, and Xiaochen Zhang, principal manager at Amazon Web Services, join Katie-Ann Wilson, head of policy analysis at the OMFIF Digital Monetary Institute, to explore how the public and private sector are using new technologies to overcome the challenges facing green finance. They discuss the process of green bond tokenisation and application of distributed ledger technology across market infrastructure, how the intersection of blockchain, cloud and artificial intelligence can address the whole value chain of climate data, and what practical steps can be taken to ensure policy-makers reap the benefits of new technologies for environmental, social and governance considerations.

 

Integrating ESG risks into investment frameworks and decision-making processes

Xinting Jia, ESG investment strategist, APAC, State Street Global Advisors, joins Emma McGarthy, head of OMFIF’s Sustainable Policy Institute, to discuss the methods and tools investors use when integrating environmental, social and governance factors into their investment decisions. With sustainability-related risks increasingly on the agenda, they delve into the metrics and targets that should be used to assess physical and transition risks. They explore the main challenges in transitioning investment portfolios, ask how to manage supply chains and identify the information and data needed to conduct robust ESG analysis.

Consumer attitudes and design of a CBDC

Wolfram Seidemann, chief executive officer of G+D Currency Technology, joins John Orchard, CEO of OMFIF, for a discussion about the key findings from the joint OMFIF-G+D survey on consumer attitudes to CBDC and what factors are important for CBDCs to be successful. Their conversation also addresses how G+D is providing leading technology in the digital currency space.