The OMFIF Podcast

Managing the global economic slowdown

Countries each face their own distinct set of problems as a result of the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund must therefore take many considerations into account in its handling of the global economic downturn. Antoinette Sayeh, deputy managing director of the IMF, joins Mark Sobel for a discussion on the IMF’s response to the crisis and ways forward for the months and years ahead.

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Taking the long view: An asset owner’s perspectives

Following the launch of the seventh annual Global Public Investor, Stephen Gilmore, chief investment officer of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, joins Mark Burgess, OMFIF Asia chairman, to discuss long-term approaches to asset ownership, asset allocation and the impact of Covid-19 on portfolios.

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Fed Talk: managing the US’ economic downturn

As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads across the US, affecting public health and the economy, the Federal Reserve is holding rates near zero and taking steps to ensure global dollar liquidity. Lewis Alexander, chief economist at Nomura, joins Mark Sobel, US chairman of OMFIF, to discuss the Fed’s policy decision, concerns about the US economy, and the role of monetary and fiscal policy in managing the crisis.

 

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In conversation with the Ambassador of China to the United Kingdom

Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to the UK, joins David Marsh, OMFIF chairman, to discuss world trading relationships. They focus on the growing tensions between the US and China, the UK's decision to ban Huawei from its 5G networks, Hong Kong protests, and Taiwan. 

 

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The OMFIF/KPMG series: Sustainable infrastructure and the green transition

In the second edition of the OMFIF-KPMG Asia podcast series, Jingdong Hua, vice-president and treasurer of the World Bank Group, joins KPMG’s Mina Sekiguchi and OMFIF’s Kat Usita to discuss sustainable infrastructure and the pandemic's impact on the green transition. What role will infrastructure play in the ‘green recovery’? What are the challenges in the green energy transition? How can infrastructure development support climate resilience and other sustainability goals? In the midst of Covid-19 disruption, how can we ensure a sustainable digital environment?

 

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Digital currency and the new cold war

David Birch, author and adviser on digital currencies, joins Phil Middleton, chairman of the Digital Monetary Institute, to discuss David's book, The Currency Cold War: Cash and Cryptography, Hash Rates and Hegemony. Their far-reaching conversation covers the central bank digital currency landscape, private currencies, and whether crime rates can really be demolished in this new era of digital currencies. Further topics include the regeneration of interbank settlement and the restructuring of financial markets, both domestically and internationally.

 

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Designing a sustainable recovery

Tom Groom, managing partner for financial services at EY, joins Danae Kyriakopoulou, OMFIF’s chief economist and director of research, to discuss the opportunities and risks to the sustainability agenda from the Covid-19 crisis. They focus on challenges for supervisors balancing priorities for immediate economic relief with the need to ensure a green recovery, the banking sector’s preparedness for upcoming regulations and the innovations needed in capital markets to scale up sustainable investment opportunities.

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CBDC is a public good, not a private business case

Wolfram Seidemann, chief executive officer of G+D Currency Technology, joins David Marsh, chairman of OMFIF, to discuss how central bank digital currency has gained traction among public and private sector institutions and if Covid-19 is a motivating factor for central banks to adopt digital currency. They also discuss at the state of blockchain technology, privacy concerns and the benefits CBDC may offer to society during the pandemic.

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In Conversation with Bill Dudley: US economic policy and outlook

Recent events are having far-reaching consequences for the US economy, affecting all parts of society and the outlook of policy-makers and market participants. William Dudley, former president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, joins Mark Sobel for a conversation about the US economy and his outlook on the years ahead. Taimur Baig, chief economist at DBS Bank, provides a first response and reflections.

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Central bank gold reserves before and after the Covid-19 shock

Kurtulus Taskale Diamondopoulos, Director, Central Banks and Public Policy at the World Gold Council, joins Pierre Ortlieb, economist at OMFIF, to discuss WGC’s newest annual central bank gold survey in the broader context of gold reserves management amid the coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the state of play in global central bank gold holdings, valuation and accounting issues, the mechanics of gold swaps and deposits, and the outlook for the yellow metal.

• 2020 Central Bank Gold Reserve Survey
• Resources on central banks and gold
• Gold valuation framework

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