The ECB Podcast

How has the pandemic affected Europe’s banks? Do they have the right tools to deal with what lies ahead? In this episode of The ECB Podcast, our host Katie Ranger explores these questions with insights from discussions at the 2021 ECB Forum on Banking Supervision. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 16 November 2021 and recorded on 11 November 2021. In this episode: 01:41 – What the pandemic has meant for banks The challenges that the coronavirus pandemic presents to the economy and the support measures put in place by banks. 03:13 – Why supervisors are keeping a close eye on credit risk How the support measures adopted during the pandemic might affect banks’ credit risk and what we, as supervisors, recommend they do to minimise it. 6:48 – How the climate crisis is relevant for banks How physical and transition risks affect banks, what the role of banks will be during the transition to a greener economy and how they are doing in assessing climate risks. 11:08 – What is needed to deepen integration in the banking sector What progress has been made in completing the banking union, how this has been affected by the pandemic crisis and what still needs to be done to deepen integration. Additional material: ECB Forum on Banking Supervision 2021: Welcome address by Christine Lagarde, ECB President – YouTube recording, 9 November 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L1maMkK_l0 ECB Forum on Banking Supervision: ECB Forum on Banking Supervision 2021: Conversation with Andrea Enria, ECB Supervisory Board Chair – YouTube recording, 9 November 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7XnY9en6ag ECB Forum on Banking Supervision 2021: Credit risk: managing through the pandemic – YouTube recording, 9 November 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igMB9ZE4kLc ECB Forum on Banking Supervision: Climate change: are banks and supervisors prepared? – YouTube recording, 10 November 2021 https://youtu.be/GAw3wKUBlK8 ECB Forum on Banking Supervision: European banking: necessary steps to deepen integration – YouTube recording, 10 November 2021 https://youtu.be/IVIvxh7t6Og Remarks by Christine Lagarde at the ECB Forum on Banking Supervision, 9 November 2021 https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2021/html/ecb.sp211109_1~6cdc943638.en.html European Central Bank website https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more pod.link/ecbpodcast

What is causing the rise in inflation we are seeing at the moment? And which trends could have an impact on prices in the future? In this episode of The ECB Podcast, our host Katie Ranger looks for answers to these questions in the discussions held at the 2021 ECB Forum on Central Banking. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 6 October 2021 and recorded on 4 October 2021. In this episode: 01:32 – The economic recovery after the pandemic How the world economy is doing after the slump in economic activity caused by the coronavirus pandemic and how this is affecting prices. 03:11 – Why has inflation been persistently low over the last ten years? Different factors have contributed to low inflation, including more people entering the job market, slower wage growth and a reluctance to put up prices. 4:32 – Reasons behind the recent inflation spikes The rise in inflation is linked to the reopening of the economy, where pent-up demand is meeting supply bottlenecks, and to base effects. These temporary factors are not expected to last. 9:29 – Trends that could impact inflation in the future Trends are emerging that could affect prices in the future. These include changes in the demand for services after the pandemic and the effects of digitalisation on globalisation. The green transition may also impact inflation in coming years. Further reading Speech by Christine Lagarde: Monetary policy during an atypical recovery, 28 September 2021 https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2021/html/ecb.sp210928~4cc57f558d.en.html Post on The ECB Blog by Isabel Schnabel: The spectre of inflation, 14 September 2021 https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2021/html/ecb.blog210914~a514f7c553.en.html Speech by Isabel Schnabel: New narratives on monetary policy – the spectre of inflation, 13 September 2021 https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2021/html/ecb.sp210913~031462fe79.en.html Christine Lagarde: Monetary policy statement – ECB press conference, 9 September 2021 https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pressconf/2021/html/ecb.is210909~b2d882f724.en.html ECB Forum on Central Banking: Policy panel – YouTube recording, 29 September 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvIFhzLOuCg ECB Forum on Central Banking: The future of inflation – YouTube recording, 28 September 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6KQi2tnmIM The ECB Podcast: Inflation: on porridge, prices and the new normal, 31 October 2019 https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/tvservices/podcast/html/ecb.pod191031_episode2.en.html European Central Bank website https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more pod.link/ecbpodcast

Our inflation objective and how price changes are measured, employment, climate change… These are just some of the topics we’ve looked at during our strategy review, the outcome of which we revealed in July. In this episode of The ECB Podcast, our host Katie Ranger discusses the review with Chief Economist Philip R. Lane. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 25 September 2021 and recorded on 20 September 2021. In this episode: 00:10 – Our strategy review What is behind our recent strategy review and why we carried it out now. 02:26 – The new price stability objective Why we have adopted the new price stability objective of 2% and why it’s important that it is symmetrical, clear and understandable. 07:20 – How to measure inflation Who measures inflation and how, and why home ownership costs should be included in the price index. 10:49 –Employment and the strategy review Why the employment situation is important for our monetary policy, and how our decisions impact jobs. 19:17 – Our guest’s “hot tip” for our listeners Home in the world by Amartya Sen: the economist and philosopher recounts his first thirty years of life in a memoir. This year’s ECB Forum on Central Banking on 28 and 29 September 2021 includes some interesting panel discussions, focussing on the future challenges for monetary policy. Further reading: Strategy review key topics, written in plain language https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/search/review/html/workstreams.en.html Background material for our strategy review (occasional papers) https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/html/strategy_review.en.html ECB Forum on Central Banking https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/conferences/html/20210928_ecb_forum_on_central_banking.en.html European Central Bank website https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more pod.link/ecbpodcast

We at the ECB conducted our first economy-wide climate stress test this year. What are the results? And what do they mean for people, companies, and banks? In this episode of The ECB Podcast, our host Katie Ranger discusses these questions with Vice-President Luis de Guindos and Irene Heemskerk, the head of our climate change centre. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 22 September 2021 and recorded on 9 September and 15 September 2021. In this episode: 01:11 – Our first economy-wide climate stress test How climate risks affect people, companies and banks in the euro area, how our climate stress test was carried out, and its main results. 11:24 – Our role as a central bank against climate change How climate change affects both financial and price stability, and the actions foreseen in the climate action plan we revealed in July 2021, following our strategy review. 13: 25 – Our first guest’s “hot tip” for our listeners Our guest Luis de Guindos shares what motivates him to work in the fight against climate change: solidarity with future generations. 15:10 – The work of the climate change centre The purpose of our climate change centre, how things are going so far and what kind of people work there. 19:31 – The next steps of our climate action plan How the economy-wide climate stress test will feed into the two other stress tests that we will conduct in 2022, on banks and on our own balance sheet. 26:14 – Our second guest’s “hot tip” for our listeners Our guest Irene Heemskerk shares the story behind a picture in her home office that clearly shows how disastrous the consequences of climate change can be. Further reading: Firms, banks benefit from early adoption of green policies, ECB’s economy-wide climate stress test shows https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2021/html/ecb.pr210922~59ade4710b.en.html ECB economy-wide climate stress test https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpops/ecb.op281~05a7735b1c.en.pdf ECB Blog post by Luis de Guindos: Shining a light on climate risks - the ECB’s economy-wide climate stress test https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2021/html/ecb.blog210318~3bbc68ffc5.en.html The ECB climate change action plan https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2021/html/ecb.pr210708_1~f104919225.en.html The ECB climate change roadmap https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/climate/roadmap/html/index.en.html European Central Bank https://www.ecb.europa.eu You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more pod.link/ecbpodcast

Hawks, doves, owls, swans, bulls and bears … even ostriches. What connects these animals to central banking? How can they help us find our way around the world of economics and finance? Our host Katie Ranger talks about these questions with communications advisor Gabriel Glöckler on The ECB Podcast. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 16 August 2021 and recorded on 29 June 2021. In this episode: 1:40 – Why animal metaphors are used in central banking How animal metaphors can help make central banking more accessible, what they mean and why they are used so often. 4:01 - Hawks, doves and owls in monetary policy How these two animal metaphors are used to describe policymakers’ attitudes towards monetary policy, what it means to make a hawkish or a dovish comment, and where the owl comes in. 9:22 – Black swans, green swans and unexpected events Which events can be qualified as black swans and what green swans are in the language of finance and economics. 14:47 – A bear market or a bull market What’s behind the bull and bear statues outside the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and how these two animal metaphors are used to describe what’s happening in financial markets. 18:38 – Our guest’s “hot tip” for our listeners The Maradona Theory of Interest Rates: What footballer Diego Maradona has in common with interest rates. Further reading: Maradona Theory of Interest Rates https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/speech/2005/monetary-policy-practice-ahead-of-theory European Central Bank www.ecb.europa.eu You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more https://pod.link/ecbpodcast

How can we foster the economic empowerment of women after the coronavirus crisis? And what role does transatlantic cooperation play in shaping a more inclusive recovery? Listen to ECB President Christine Lagarde, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen talk about this and more in the latest episode of the ECB Podcast, hosted by Katie Ranger. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 15 July 2021 and recorded on 12 July 2021. In this episode: 01:25 – Economic empowerment of women Why economic empowerment of women is vital, where we stand in Europe and the United States on economic empowerment and gender equality, and what needs to be done to foster economic empowerment. 20:59 – Women amid the coronavirus crisis How the coronavirus crisis has affected women and gender equality, how we can make the economic recovery inclusive and what’s being done to increase gender equality in the United States and Europe. 38:03 – The role of transatlantic cooperation Why renewed transatlantic cooperation is needed to take on the challenges of today, how international cooperation on climate change is moving forward and paving the way for others to do their part, and how Europe and the United States can work together in the future. 51:56 – Our guests’ “hot tips” on female empowerment What Christine Lagarde, Janet Yellen and Ursula von der Leyen recommend to learn more about female empowerment and gender equality. Further reading: European Central Bank www.ecb.europa.eu You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more https://pod.link/ecbpodcast

What does financial stability have to do with cycling and zombies? How has the third wave of the pandemic affected the financial system? What risks lie ahead? Our host Katie Ranger discusses these questions with our financial stability experts Tamarah Shakir and John Fell on The ECB Podcast. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 16 June 2021 and recorded on 1 June 2021. In this episode: 00:58 – How the financial system has fared during the third wave How the financial stability bicycle is doing, how stabilisers have helped to preserve financial stability, what the risks are that lie ahead during the recovery. 06:30 – Economic divergence across sectors and countries Why countries and sectors were affected differently during the pandemic, why economic divergence is an issue for financial stability and why fiscal policy is best suited to address divergences between sectors and countries. 11:27 – Risk appetite in the markets and bitcoin How markets and investors have behaved during the third wave of the pandemic, why investors’ risk appetite has increased over the last six months and why this is a concern for financial stability. 17:38 – Zombie firms and financial stability What zombie firms are, why they could benefit from policy support measures during the pandemic, what zombie firms mean for financial stability. 21:18 – Must-watches and must-reads on financial stability What our experts suggest as entertaining must-watches and must-reads to get started on financial stability. Further reading: Financial Stability Review https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/financial-stability/fsr/html/index.en.html European Central Bank www.ecb.europa.eu You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more: https://pod.link/ecbpodcast

How can we as a central bank contribute to tackling climate change? What's our role as a central bank and supervisor? Our new host Katie Ranger discusses these questions with Executive Board members Isabel Schnabel and Frank Elderson in this episode of The ECB Podcast. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 12 May 2021 and recorded on 7 May 2021. In this episode: 01:14 – Where we stand in the fight against climate change What motivates our guests Isabel Schnabel and Frank Elderson to be vocal in the fight against climate change, what has been achieved so far and where we need to go from here. 13:10 – Legal aspects and the price stability mandate What our price stability mandate tells us about our commitment to tackling climate change, and what our obligations and limitations are. 20:41 – What monetary policy can do How climate change affects our mandate to maintain price stability, how our asset purchases could become greener, and why this is easier said than done and what market neutrality has to do with it. 35:16 – What banking supervisors can do Why banks play a key role in the transition towards a green economy, how supervisors support banks to manage climate risks, and why good data and thorough stress tests play a key role. Further reading: Christine Lagarde: Towards a green capital markets union for Europe https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2021/html/ecb.sp210506~4ec98730ee.en.html Frank Elderson: All the way to zero: guiding banks towards a carbon-neutral Europe https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2021/html/ecb.sp210429~3f8606edca.en.html Frank Elderson: Greening monetary policy https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2021/html/ecb.blog210213~7e26af8606.en.html Isabel Schnabel: From green neglect to green dominance? https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2021/html/ecb.sp210303_1~f3df48854e.en.html Isabel Schnabel: Never waste a crisis: COVID-19, climate change and monetary policy https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2020/html/ecb.sp200717~1556b0f988.en.html Isabel Schnabel: When markets fail – the need for collective action in tackling climate change https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2020/html/ecb.sp200928_1~268b0b672f.en.html Luis de Guindos: Shining a light on climate risks: the ECB’s economy-wide climate stress test https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2021/html/ecb.blog210318~3bbc68ffc5.en.html Climate change and the ECB https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/climate/html/index.en.html European Central Bank www.ecb.europa.eu European Banking Supervision www.www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more: https://pod.link/ecbpodcast

How can we empower women to aim high? ECB President Christine Lagarde and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, talk about this and share their personal experiences as female leaders in the latest episode of The ECB Podcast hosted by Michael Steen. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 8 March 2021 and recorded on 4 March 2021. In this episode: 01:44 – Female leadership Why female leadership is important, why women are central to good and effective leadership during crisis times, why more gender parity is beneficial to all of us and how we can achieve it. 10:14 – Path to leadership What the driving forces were on Christine Lagarde’s and Ursula von der Leyen’s paths to leadership, how they dealt with obstacles, what gave them confidence and to carry on, and what role childcare can have for women on their career paths. 26:15 – Fighting stereotypes and gender biases How Christine Lagarde and Ursula von der Leyen were confronted with biases and stereotypes, how they dealt with those situations, and they came out stronger from difficult situations. 34:55 – Impact of the coronavirus crisis on gender equality How the coronavirus crisis has disproportionally affected women, what the positive and negative effects of working remotely could be over the long-term, and what we can do for a better work-life balance for everyone. 41:55 – Goals for gender equality in the future What their goals are for gender equality in the future, what advice they would give themselves to better deal with obstacles and hurdles and what they #ChooseToChallenge to encourage better gender equality. Further reading: Christine Lagarde: Choose to challenge women’s roles at home, at work and in our society https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2021/html/ecb.blog210308~e7a735f961.en.html Harvard Business Review: Women are better leaders during a crisis https://hbr.org/2020/12/research-women-are-better-leaders-during-a-crisis Women in economics scholarship https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/what-we-offer/wecs/html/index.en.html Women@ECB https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/why-we-value-diversity/women/html/index.en.html European Central Bank www.ecb.europa.eu You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more: https://pod.link/ecbpodcast

What are banking supervisors worried about for 2021? Why are “marriages” between banks a good idea? And how can supervisors help banks to be part of the solution during this crisis? Our host Michael Steen finds answers to these questions in The ECB Podcast. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 12 February 2021 and recorded on 9 February 2021. In this episode: 01:19 – How the coronavirus crisis has affected banks What the uncertainty during the pandemic has meant for banks, the main risks they are facing, and how banks can be part of the solution this time. 04:50 – How supervisors helped to ensure that bank lending continued during the crisis What steps governments and regulators took to ensure that credit continued to flow, how those measures helped banks to fulfil their role as lenders and what the risks of those policies are. 06:32 – The supervisory priorities for 2021 A closer look at this year’s priorities: credit risk, capital strength, business model sustainability and governance are the areas that supervisors will look at in 2021. Further reading: Supervisory priorities 2021 https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/banking/priorities/priorities/html/index.en.html Introductory statement to the ECB banking supervision press conference https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/press/speeches/date/2021/html/ssm.sp210128~78f262dd04.en.html Overview: The ECB’s response to the coronavirus pandemic https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/search/coronavirus/html/index.en.html https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/home/search/coronavirus/html/index.en.html European Central Bank website www.ecb.europa.eu Banking supervision website www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu You can also listen to The ECB Podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer, Stitcher, YouTube, Amazon Music and many more: https://pod.link/ecbpodcast