The OMFIF Podcast

Renminbi between digitalisation and internationalisation

Michael Sung, professor in the fintech research centre at Fudan University’s Fanhai International School of Finance, joins Pierre Ortlieb, economist at OMFIF, to discuss the People’s Bank of China’s digital currency project, the broader central bank digital currency ecosystem and China’s efforts to internationalise its currency. They delve into the mechanics of the PBoC’s digital currency/electronic payment and how it would operate with other CBDC projects.

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Year in review

Join Ellie Groves, deputy head of programming and Europe manager and Danae Kyriakopoulou, chief economist and director of research at OMFIF on the last podcast of 2020. The discussion touches on key topics from the year, among which include the impact of COVID-19 and the actions taken by central banks, the European Union, and finance ministries. The speakers cover future challenges, be that technological innovation and the growth of the green finance agenda, to geopolitical shifts caused by the change in the US administration and Brexit. 

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Renewable energy as asset class

Raul Rosales, senior executive fellow at the centre for climate finance and investment at Imperial College Business School, joins Danae Kyriakopoulou, chief economist and director of research at OMFIF, to discuss Covid-19’s effects on the renewable energy landscape. Opportunities for investment in infrastructure and renewable energy in Spain, UK and beyond are discussed as well. The podcast also explores the impact of the pandemic in terms of policy response, the importance of a risk-based approach and cautions against overburdening climate change regulation.

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Working in crisis

Covid-19 has overhauled working norms, prompting a widespread shift to remote working and testing new areas of operational management. Sofie De Beule-Roloff, chief operating officer of the European Stability Mechanism, and Emmanuel Dooseman, partner and global head of banking at Mazars, join OMFIF’s Kat Usita to discuss the challenges that employers and workers face during this crisis, including how to maintain safe, supportive and inclusive work environments.

Read the blog by European Stability Mechanism here: https://www.esm.europa.eu/blog/teleworking-transforming-insights-progress 

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In conversation with Michael Pettis: China’s economy and outlook

Michael Pettis, professor of finance at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management, joins Mark Sobel, US chairman of OMFIF, to discuss China’s macroeconomic outlook and the health of its financial system. They cover the future US-China relationship under President Joe Biden, the lasting impact of Donald Trump’s trade policies, and Chinese monetary and currency policy.

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Euro area economic outlook

Vítor Constâncio, former vice-president of the European Central Bank, governor of Banco de Portugal and Portuguese finance minister, joins Christian Kopf, head of fixed income at Union Investment, and David Marsh, OMFIF chairman. They cover the state of the euro area economy and the challenges of Covid-19. They discuss the ECB and European Commission economic policy response to the pandemic, as well as the measures taken by national governments. Finally, they analyse the investment landscape and probable future policy levers.

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Global economic crisis and gender equality

The pandemic has exposed an array of economic inequalities, with the economic fall-out of Covid-19 disproportionately affecting society’s most vulnerable groups. The panel discusses the gendered effects of the crisis, focusing on the economic impact and policy responses. It explores how gender inequalities in the workplace has been exacerbated, and how to manage them at company and state level. Speakers also outline opportunities for public and private investors to support these initiatives through sustainable financing measures. 

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Federal reserve financial stability report

Central banks and governments around the world introduced a range of monetary and fiscal measures to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. The Federal Reserve quickly lowered its policy rate to close to zero to support economic activity and took extraordinary measures to stabilise markets and bolster the flow of credit to households and businesses. Andreas Lehnert, director of the financial stability division of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, discusses the full range of tools the Fed is using to support the US economy.

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Growing pains: the story of the euro

Yves Mersch, former governor of the Banque Centrale du Luxembourg, is the sole member of the European Central Bank governing council to have served continually since the bank’s establishment in 1998. In this conversation with David Marsh, Mersch surveys the ups and downs of the euro’s development, seminal changes under the ECB’s four presidents, Wim Duisenberg, Jean-Claude Trichet, Mario Draghi and Christine Lagarde, as well as progress in the ECB’s crisis-fighting capacity and response to the Covid-19 pandemic. He assesses the ECB’s handling of its now widened responsibilities assuring both monetary and financial stability, the future of its emergency bond purchase programme, and whether the ECB’s policy review, due to conclude in autumn 2021, will result in significant changes in its operational mandate and procedures.

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The role of financial intermediaries in transitioning to a green economy

Maya Hennerkes, environmental and social sector lead for financial intermediaries at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, joins Danae Kyriakopoulou, chief economist and director of research at OMFIF, to discuss the role of financial intermediaries in the green transition. They discuss the EBRD’s latest Transition report and reflect on practical insights from working with financial intermediaries in the EBRD countries of operation in terms of risk management, integration, and the role of data.

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