Invested: The OMFIF Podcast

Crypto-assets are forming a growing part of institutional investors’ portfolios. As a result, there is a growing demand for equivalent sources of data and analytical tools that investors use to guide their trading in traditional markets. Andrew Forson, president of DeFi Technologies and chief growth officer of Valour, joins Lewis McLellan, head of content at OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute, to discuss a new index that makes use of capital flows data in exchange-traded products to generate valuable information about the behaviour of crypto-asset investors. This index is available to the OMFIF network in monthly newsletters and on our website here. 

Tokenisation is accelerating across capital markets and central securities depositories with their unique scale and role within capital markets have the opportunity to position themselves at the forefront of development.   Thilo Derenbach, head of business development and commercialisation of digital initiatives at Clearstream, discusses their approach to the tokenisation of securities with head of content of OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute, Lewis McLellan. Progress in tokenisation is set to become a necessity if European capital markets are to remain globally competitive, particularly in light of developments in the US and east Asia. 

As global conversations around gender equality evolve, the focus is increasingly shifting from commitments to measurable outcomes. This includes how legal frameworks, institutional practices and representation translate into real economic inclusion for women, and how we can better understand both the progress made and the barriers that persist across countries and sectors. Tea Trumbic, manager of the Women, Business and the Law project at the World Bank, joins Andrea Correa, head of research at OMFIF, to discuss the intersection of evidence-based policy-making and women’s economic empowerment. From personal reflections to the broader policy landscape, we examine where meaningful progress has been achieved, where gaps remain, the importance of language in shaping the debate and the link between gender equality and economic growth. Download and read the OMFIF Gender Balance Index 2026.

Conor Perry, economist at OMFIF, speaks with Edward Harrold, fixed income investment director at Capital Group, about the outlook for European investment grade credit in an evolving macro backdrop. They discuss the impact of geopolitics on credit markets, inflation and interest rate expectations, as well as Capital Group’s approach to bottom-up investment management.

The representation of women in leadership, particularly in the financial sector, has been progressing over the years. This has been alongside mentorship programmes, networking platforms and career path support systems that institutions have been putting in place to advance a more equitable gender workplace.  Shriyanka Hore, board member at London Women’s Forum, joins Andrea Correa, head of research at OMFIF, to discuss how institutional initiatives, policies and networking opportunities have shaped the path of women in leadership positions, and which areas still need support to achieve gender balance. 

As natural disasters accelerate in both frequency and severity around the world, it is becoming increasingly difficult for insurers to provide protection to people and businesses alike. Regula Hess, financial sector engagement lead at WWF Switzerland, and Arne Holzhausen, head of outreach at Allianz Investment Management, joins Sarah Moloney, editorial director at OMFIF, to discuss the climate insurance protection gap and how it threatens global financial stability. They explore the key findings of a new white paper published by WWF. ‘Tackling the insurance protection gap: leveraging climate and nature to increase resilience’ finds that the widening gap between total economic losses after a natural disaster and the proportion that is insured is becoming a material concern for financial regulators, central banks and governments. The conversation digs into why nature loss and the degradation of ecosystems are central to the issue and looks at how the impacts go far beyond risks to property.

Tara Hariharan, managing director and head of research at NWI Management, joins Mark Sobel, chief economist and vice chair at OMFIF to discuss emerging market investing.  They explore how to manage the volatility associated with current market volatility in light of developments in the Middle East while combining those with views and assessments of underlying EM country economic developments. 

Michael Pettis, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment and co-author of Trade Wars Are Class Wars: How Rising Inequality Distorts the Global Economy and Threatens International Peace, joins Mark Sobel, chief economist and vice chair at OMFIF, to discuss the insuperable obstacles China faces in seeking to escape its wasteful investment-led growth model and instead boost consumption and services.

As the new generation of financial infrastructure takes shape, the need for sophisticated tools to inform policy-makers is growing. To encourage innovation and preserve security, it is vital that policy-makers have the capacity to interact with and closely supervise new systems. Sandboxes are a key tool for this process. Carmelle Cadet, chief executive officer and founder of EmTech joins OMFIF to discuss the nuances of how sandboxes work and how they should be constructed.

Discussions around central bank digital currencies typically begin with the intended use case. If the CBDC is for retail use, then all the subsequent discussions focus on retail, and the reverse is true for wholesale. The two are treated as separate discussions. Abbas Albasha, senior strategy consultant at Giesecke+Devrient joins Lewis McLellan, head of content at OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute, to discuss why this approach is too restrictive, pointing out that a single CBDC system can be designed to meet both retail and wholesale needs flexibly without need for two separate systems.