The OMFIF Podcast

Reflections on the Fed and risks to financial stability

Randal Quarles, former member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, joins Mark Sobel, US chair, OMFIF, for a broad discussion on the outlook of the Federal Reserve. Their discussion will take in everything from the economic outlook, financial stability to Randal’s reflections on his time at the Fed and as Chair of the Financial Stability Board. 

Technical issues around the introduction CBDCs and their policy implications

As economies around the world look for ways to foster greater financial inclusion, conversations have increased around upgrading the global payments system, both wholesale and retail. Koji Fusa, chief executive officer at GVE, joins John Orchard, chief executive officer of OMFIF, to discuss the tension between privacy and oversight if physical cash is phased out, characteristics of a two-tier (opted for by the People’s Bank of China and most other central banks considering CBDCs) and three-tier system. A closer look at the impact on tokens and contracts used to settle transactions if a new payments system is created involving using blockchain or distributed ledger technology is also explored. 

View the graph mentioned in the podcast here. 

ESG and US asset management: The future is now

With climate change evermore on the global agenda, investors and the financial sector are increasingly having to factor ESG into investment decisions. In collaboration with Mazars, OMFIF has produced a report titled: ESG and US asset management: The future is now. In the virtual launch of the report, which includes a brief overview of key findings, panellists discuss investment approaches to ESG, data metrics and standards, the political and policy environment impacting approaches to ESG, as well as opportunities and developments in ESG processes. 

Jingdong Hua‘s retirement reflections on development finance

Jingdong Hua shares his reflections as he retires as treasurer from the World Bank and after an extensive career in development finance across different multilateral organisations. In a broad ranging interview with David Marsh, chairman of OMFIF, they discuss among others the role of multilateral development banks in a post-covid world, holistic approaches to tackling climate change as well as how to develop and strengthen local capital markets in emerging economies. 

CBDCs, stablecoins and geopolitical implications

As economies around the world move towards a greater degree of digitalisation and look to foster greater financial inclusion, CBDCs could prove to be crucial to safeguarding central bank money. James Wallis, vice-president, central bank engagements and CBDCs, RippleX at Ripple, joins John Orchard, chief executive officer of OMFIF, to discuss the economic benefits and risks surrounding CBDCs, collaboration between the private and public sectors, the stablecoin debate and privacy trade-off concerns.

Ahead of the ECB: challenges ahead in monetary policy and reserves management

Interest rates are on the rise as the ‘transitory’ rise in inflation appears to be more persistent than previously thought. Max Castelli, head of strategy, global sovereign markets, UBS Asset Management, talks with David Marsh, OMFIF chairman, about the European Central Bank’s policies ahead of the all-important end-of-year governing council meeting on 16 December, where the central bank’s 2022 asset purchase strategy will take centre stage. The podcast features findings from UBS’ research on reserves management, including reserves managers facing potential losses on their fixed income portfolios for the first time in a very long while and how they are diversifying away from government bonds to better respond to this challenging reality.

The third wave of fintech innovation

As innovation in fintech continues to accelerate, it is important to understand the needs and expectations of consumers, how the evolution of technologies may improve financial access and health, and the conditions and requirements for responsible and equitable innovation. How will current approaches and frameworks evolve as the speed, infrastructure and providers of financial services rapidly change? Usman Ahmed, head of global public policy and research at PayPal, and Ivy Lau, lead manager of global public policy and research at PayPal, join Patricia Haas Cleveland, US president of OMFIF, to discuss the future of fintech innovation.

Lessons learned from building a blockchain-based CBDC

Pietro Grassano, business solutions director for Europe at Algorand, delves into the issue of tokenised money and the need for tokenisation to occur on a domestic and cross-border level. The podcast comes ahead of the release of ‘Future of cross-border payments’, a report OMFIF created in partnership with Algorand. The podcast broaches topics such as the definition of tokenisation in relation to payments, the features of payment tokens that can help mediate cross-border frictions, the issue of blockchain centralisation and decentralisation, and the next steps for global coordination.

Enjoyed this podcast?  For the launch of OMFIF’s ‘Future of cross-border payments’ report, the Digital Monetary Institute is convening a panel titled 'The future of cross-border payments' to explore the potential role of digital currencies in cross-border payments, the future role of traditional payments providers and networks, the role of distributed ledger technology in upgrading wholesale payments and remittances, as well as next steps for global coordination. Register here.

2021 review: the European borrowing landscape

In this end-of-year podcast, Eila Kreivi, head of capital markets at the European Investment Bank, reviews the European borrowing landscape in 2021, the launch of the Next Generation EU fund and the development of the green bond market. The discussion focuses on the impact of the European Union as a major issuer, lessons learned by the EIB on debt issuance, the role of green bonds and the extent to which the EU taxonomy on sustainable finance is fit for purpose.

Enjoyed this podcast? 

• Register for our virtual panel on the outlook for European sovereign borrowing 2022 here.
• Read the commentary titled 'Investors seek ‘transparency, engagement and open dialogue’ in green bond issuance' here.

Retail CBDC and its implications for the European Monetary Union

The transition to digital currencies continues at a rapid pace and has inevitably been accelerated by Covid-19. As the economy moves towards a greater degree of digitalisation, a retail CBDC could prove important in safeguarding central bank money as well as protecting the interest of consumers and vendors online. The main topics of discussion for this panel include the unbundling of financial services and the impact on commercial banks, the ECB’s balance sheet implications under a two-tier model, the role of central banks in supporting digital evolution and how a programmable euro could safeguard the EU’s technological competitiveness. The need for a digital euro, the growing role of fintech and the potential division of labour under a two-tier retail model also come under consideration.

This podcast is taken from the virtual conference 'European payments and digital assets: promoting sovereignty and integration through digitalisation'. Catch up here.