Archive

Dante Disparte on Stablecoins and the Future of Finance

DANTE DISPARTE December 2, 2025

While the volatility of digital currencies like Bitcoin has kept it out of traditional banking systems, stablecoin is gaining ground in the race for a suitable digital counterpart to fiat currency. Dante Disparte heads strategy and global policy at Circle, which issues two of the world's most widely traded stablecoins. In this podcast, he says stablecoin money can help overcome some of the inefficiencies of the traditional banking system.

Pablo Peña on why AI is No Match for Human Capital

PABLO PENA December 2, 2025

While artificial intelligence continues to outperform our human abilities in many areas, Pablo Pena believes critical thinking and curiosity are what will keep us in the driver's seat. Pena is an associate professor of economics at the University of Chicago and author of Human Capital for Humans: An Accessible Introduction to the Economic Science of People. In this Podcast, Pena and journalist Rhoda Metcalfe discuss his article in the December issue of Finance & Development magazine.

Marc Palen on Peace Economics and Trade

MARC-WILLIAM PALEN November 25, 2025

Maintaining good relations promotes trade, but can trade repair bad relations? Marc Palen examines how Britain’s repeal of the Corn Laws in the mid-1800s sparked its interest in free trade and the idea of economic interdependence for a peaceful and prosperous world. In this podcast, he talks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about his research into the origins of globalization.

Holding Steady: Athene Laws on sub-Saharan Africa’s Outlook

Athene Laws November 20, 2025

Sub-Saharan Africa is holding its own despite a deteriorating global trade and aid landscape. The latest outlook projects growth to remain steady at 4.1 percent this year with a modest pickup in 2026. In this podcast, IMF economist Athene Laws says removing barriers to private firm growth is crucial for providing the jobs needed by the region’s young and rapidly expanding labor force.

Gordon Hanson on Shifting Trade Alliances

Gordon Hanson November 13, 2025

It’s not unusual for countries to reevaluate trade relationships as the global economy evolves. However, the persistent uncertainty brought on by tariffs has prompted entire regions to reconsider long-established alliances and rethink new ones that were unimaginable only a year ago. In this podcast, Harvard Professor Gordon Hanson says we need to reinvigorate the process of building new trade agreements that reflect the new world, and middle- and newly high-income countries should play a leading role.

F&D Magazine / Monetary policy

Kenneth Rogoff on Dollar Dominance

KENNETH ROGOFF October 30, 2025

While the US dollar has been at the top of its game for decades, new players are testing its reign. Chess grandmaster-turned-economist Kenneth Rogoff has long cautioned of the dangers that high debt and fiscal burdens could have on the world’s favorite reserve currency, and in his latest book, Our Dollar, Your Problem, he says its share of global reserves may be on the decline.

Where Startups Do Roam: Swati Bhatt

SWATI BHATT October 2, 2025

The US is a breeding ground for startups, and California has been the center of that universe since the dot-com boom in the late 1990s. But rising costs, tighter quarters, and increasing bureaucracy have many tech innovators seeking greener pastures, well beyond Silicon Valley. In this podcast, Princeton University's Swati Bhatt talks about these new entrepreneurs opting for a different lifestyle.

Chady El Khoury on the Virtual Reality of Financial Crime

CHADY EL KHOURY September 30, 2025

While countries came together in the late 80s to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism, technology and the advent of virtual currencies have further complicated the tracking of illicit financial flows across borders. In this podcast, IMF assistant general counsel Chady El Khoury says the anonymity of virtual currency transactions is supercharging the ability for criminals to grow their empires.

Danny Quah on Rethinking Multilateralism

DANNY QUAH September 17, 2025

What happens when the great powers that have been supporting the multilateral system decide it’s not working for them anymore? Danny Quah is the Li Ka Shing Professor of Economics at the National University of Singapore. In this podcast, he says that while economics and geopolitics worked together to build the multilateral rules-based system, they are now working together to break it apart.

Grit and Luck: Gita Gopinath Reflects on her Career and Roles at the Fund

GITA GOPINATH September 10, 2025

As the IMF Chief Economist and subsequently the institution’s First Deputy Managing Director, Gita Gopinath navigated unprecedented global crises, including the pandemic and the ensuing great lockdown, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, inflation, and geopolitical fragmentation. In this podcast, Gita Gopinath reflects on her experiences at the Fund and what she’s taking back with her to Harvard University.

Carl Benedikt Frey on AI and Growth

CARL BENEDIKT FREY September 4, 2025

As tech innovation, particularly in the field of AI, is increasingly focused on a few key players, the industries benefiting from these tools have also become more concentrated. In this podcast, Carl Benedikt Frey says that concentration of AI-using industries will push the direction of technological change further towards automation rather than product innovation.

Karen Dynan on Regaining Lost Ground in Policy Influence

KAREN DYNAN July 24, 2025

There was a time when economic expertise ruled policy debates at virtually all levels of government. And while trade, taxation, and other important policies are still guided by economic analysis, economists increasingly feel sidelined by politics. In this podcast, Karen Dynan says economists need to engage with policymakers and the public at the level that they can understand if they want to be part of the policy conversation.

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