We discuss the pros of adopting government-issued digital currencies as well as a supranational digital iCurrency. One such pro is to get rid of paper money (and coinage), a ubiquitous medium for spreading germs, as highlighted by the recent coronavirus outbreak. We set forth three policy...

We discuss the idea of a purely algorithmic universal world iCurrency set forth in: "https://ssrn.com/abstract=2542541" https://ssrn.com/abstract=2542541 and expanded in: "https://ssrn.com/abstract=3059330" https://ssrn.com/abstract=3059330 in light of recent developments, including Libra. Is...

On 11 March 2015, SUERF jointly organised a conference with the Oesterreichische Nationalbank and the Austrian Society for Bank Research (Bankwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft - BWG). The present SUERF Study 2015/2 includes a selection of papers based on the authors' contributions to the Vienna...

We build a moral hazard model to study incentives of financial intermediaries (shortly, bankers) facing a leverage-insurance trade-off in their investment choice. We demonstrate that the choice is affected by two recent transformations of the financial ecosystem bankers inhabit: (i) the rise of...

The insurance industry could potentially play a greater constructive role in mitigating climate risk by aligning with entities that scrupulously incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects in their business philosophy

Climate risk impacts the insurance industry on both sides of the balance sheets. On the one hand, rising weather-related claims are affecting the liability side. At the same time, there is an increasing expectation from investors, shareholders, customers and other stakeholders for insurers to...

This monograph surveys the results of government intervention in the market for retirement income provision throughout the world. The authors begin by looking at high-income democracies in which governments have, to a large degree, taken over the function of providing pensions. They find that...

Sustainable investing is growing into its moment. Funded pensions, which were among the first institutions to respond to sustainability concerns, are showing renewed interest in better ways to reflect responsible investing objectives, along with regulators, asset managers and shareholder groups....

In the past decade, financial institutions have assumed an ever greater role in energy derivatives (or “paper”) markets. Numerous recent studies provide novel evidence of this “financialization” and analyze the extent to which it helps explain an important aspect of the distribution of...

In the past decade, financial institutions have assumed an ever greater role in energy derivatives (or “paper”) markets. Numerous recent studies provide novel evidence of this “financialization” and analyze the extent to which it helps explain an important aspect of the distribution of...