The OMFIF Podcast

Saleha Mohsin, senior Washington correspondent for Bloomberg News joined Mark Sobel, US chair at OMFIF, to discuss her recently published book, Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order. She discusses how secretaries of the Treasury of past decades managed communications about the dollar and how the department developed and deployed financial sanctions based on the dollar's globally dominant role.

Cian O’Murchu, head of strategic transformation, Mireia Guisado-Parra, pre-validation product owner at Swift and Julien Lasalle, head of cashless payment monitoring at Banque de France, join Lewis McLellan, editor of OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute. Together, they discuss the implementation of pre-validation – a new tool developed to reduce the number of errors in payments and restore people's trust in their ability to safely pay for goods and services online.

Stefan Nanu, head of public debt management and state treasury at the ministry of finance of Romania, joins Burhan Khadbai, head of content at OMFIF’s Sovereign Debt Institute, to discuss Romania’s long-awaited inaugural green bond, which was the most successful ever euro-denominated bond in this format by an emerging market issuer. As well as the record-breaking deal itself, they also cover Romania’s ambitious transition plan and the key features of its green bond framework

Monique Newiak, deputy unit chief, inclusion and gender, and Mariarosaria Communale, economist at the International Monetary Fund, join Arunima Sharan, senior research analyst at OMFIF’s Economic and Monetary Policy Institute, to discuss the state of gender balance in financial institutions. They examine the IMF’s gender strategy, the macro-criticality of gender equality and findings from their recent publication, 'Who are Central Banks? Gender, Human Resources, and Central Banking'.  The views expressed by the speakers in this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its executive board or management.

Max Castelli, head of strategy, sovereign institutions, and Philipp Salman, director of strategy and advice, global sovereign markets, UBS Asset Management, join Taylor Pearce, senior economist at OMFIF, to discuss what’s in store for global public investors in 2024. The discussion identifies opportunities and risks for reserve managers and sovereign wealth funds amid evolving market dynamics, including falling inflation, headwinds to China’s economy and a resilient US economy albeit looming political risks.   You can find the full transcript here.

Environmental, social and governance data is integral to scaling up sustainable finance and investment. With increasing regulation and demand for information, it’s also crucial for organisations and businesses. Sherry Madera, chief executive officer of CDP, joins John Orchard, OMFIF chief executive officer, to discuss how data can improve the quality of a company, how datasets are evolving to support the mobilisation of institutional investor demand in ESG assets and the importance of data to leadership.   To find out more, Madera’s book Navigating Sustainability Data: How Organizations can use ESG Data to Secure Their Future is now available to buy.

Siegfried Ruhl, hors classe adviser to the director-general for budget at the European Commission, joins Burhan Khadbai, head of content at OMFIF’s Sovereign Debt Institute, to discuss upcoming priorities for the European Union as it continues its rapid journey towards sovereign status in the capital markets. They discuss the EU’s recent launch of quoting commitments for its primary dealers and the EU Issuance Service, as well as plans to launch a repo facility and futures market. The discussion also touches on the evolution of the EU’s investor base and its status as a safe asset and global benchmark.

Gregory Makoff, author of new book Default: The Landmark Court Battle over Argentina's $100 Billion Debt Restructuring joins OMFIF US Chair Mark Sobel to discuss Argentina's nearly two-decades-long sovereign debt litigation following the 2001 default. Both review the spectacular blow-up of the Argentine economy, the litigation's timeline and the US government's role at various junctures.   You can find the transcript of this podcast here. 

To transition to a sustainable economy, new investment models are needed. Financial flows into emerging economies must be also scaled. Blended finance and public-private collaboration will be integral in supporting increased investment and mitigating risk perception. David Carlin, head of risk, United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative, joins OMFIF’s Emma McGarthy, head, Sustainable Policy Institute, to discuss transition finance, takeaways from COP28 and his expectations for the year ahead.

Vera Songwe, a non-resident senior fellow in the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution and co-chair of the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, joins Katerina Atkins, programme coordinator at OMFIF’s Sustainable Policy Institute, to explore the key outcomes and challenges from the COP28 climate summit. They discuss the agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, the conclusion of the first global stocktake, the loss and damage fund, as well as the financial needs and innovative financing mechanisms to address climate change.