Session Listing

Global debt levels are at historically high levels. Regardless of economic level, countries around the world are now faced with a series of (to varying degrees) difficult choices. If policymakers don't get these choices right, prosperity, further economic development and social cohesion could be at risk. Various entities, including the WBG/IMF, G-20, G-7, have established frameworks to try to address these challenges, including the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, the Common Framework for Debt Treatments, and other ad-hoc approaches like Collective Action Clauses. The efficacy of these approaches remains an open question, as do broader concerns related to lack of transparency and the intentional use of debt as a foreign policy tool. What more can be done by policymakers to tackle these challenges? What role can investors and financial institutions play in fostering a more equitable and efficient sovereign debt architecture? 

Blockchain technology is a prime example of Finfrastructure: the intersection of FinTech and infrastructure. The internet we know today has been built on a global network of servers, fiber optics, and electrical grids that leverage private and public finance. As the internet economy deploys blockchain technology, decentralized cryptographic ledgers will serve as another key infrastructural component in the emerging Web3. Already we are seeing mayors, municipalities, and states leveraging blockchain technology for data storage, identity, and public services. In this session we will explore how this new technology will be governed, how can blockchains be operated sustainably, what unexpected public use cases are emerging for Web3. We will hear from global blockchain innovators, thought leaders, and regulators.  

An annual meeting of leading start-up technical assistance groups, stakeholders, funders, and partners to help identify deployment gaps and strategies.

Chatham House sessions with attending major city CFOs.

This session will highlight the power of public private partnerships for disaster response, preparedness, and infrastructure resiliency. What are some lessons learned from these countries and how will government public finances need to be prepared, investing in resilient infrastructure and recovery response?

Pension funds around the globe invest in infrastructure development. What are some of the challenges and opportunities that investors are facing? What are best practices to manage project risks and investor returns?

With global conflicts and climate challenges, the shift is on to net zero and other energy transition technologies across every industrial sector. Capital is quickly chasing opportunities in investments with a more straightforward path towards decarbonization, such as renewables and EVs. But what other carbon-intensive sectors offer sustainable investment opportunities? Which face the highest barriers? Hear from investors and policy-makers about their strategies for net zero investing.

Soon it will be three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet global economic recovery keeps stalling. Just a few of the challenges ahead are high inflation rates, the need to provide a social safety net, and employment. Other looming issues for which solutions are bound to be less than popular include tax reforms, price hikes—and so on and on. Get the inside story from a conversation between fiscal and monetary policy experts who will open your eyes and ears to the ins and outs of sovereign debt and the importance of bridging social inequalities. 

African countries and other frontier and emerging markets are facing an ever-higher number of urgent challenges requiring meaningful government spending and intervention, including the global headwinds posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, food security threats, and population growth as well as increasing climate exposure requiring massive infrastructure investment. Fiscal space is tighter than ever. Since 2006, African countries have engaged in enthusiastic issuance of Eurobonds on international markets to finance national development priorities—a strategy which puts fiscal strain on governments and is vulnerable to exchange rate swings. Looking ahead, how can African countries find more sustainable ways to mobilize public and private financing around long-term investments in critical sectors such as infrastructure, health, and agriculture, while reducing their reliance on external financing and shoring up financial resilience?

The flow of trade between the US and Mexico is continuously expanding. The Latino economic output in 2020 reached $2.8 trillion—globally, the fifth largest economy by GDP. The bilateral relationship calls for peak optimization to strengthen the bond between the US and Mexico economies further. During this discussion, panelists will focus on the need for public-private investment in digital infrastructure, as well as systems allowing a smoother flow of goods and services between the two countries.