ABFER-ABS Industry Outreach Panel: "The Impact of Fin-tech Revolution, Digitalisation and Digital Currencies on the Financial System"
24 February 2022
Digitisation and related innovations, such as Data Analytics, DLT, cryptocurrencies, CBDC (e.g., PBOC) significantly affect financial intermediation and the overall financial eco-system. For example, digitisation revolutionizes payment approaches and credit allocations. Both private sector players and governments are competing and forming new partnerships. With these imminent momentous changes, there will be fundamental shifts in business models, strategic thinking, and our financial system's characteristics. We want to benefit from the experience, insights, and wisdom of industry leaders, policymakers, and academics on these important topics.
Prof Dave Fernandez, SKBI Director, was one of the panelist at this event.
- Watch the panel video recording here.
MOU Exchange at the Launch of Women in Sustainability & Environment (WISE)
18 November 2021
WISE Singapore - Women in Sustainability and Environment was launched on 18 November 2021, with Singapore Management University as its knowledge partner. WISE is the first women’s society in Singapore formed to focus concerted gender action towards Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 and United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
At the launch event, the signing of a memorandum of understanding between WISE and SMU was announced. SMU would support WISE in curating knowledge and programmes around sustainability, as well as being involved in the selection criteria for the WISE Sustainability Awards. The WISE Knowledge Hub curated by SMU would be launched soon.
- To find out more, read the news article here.
Asia Pacific Financial Education Institute 2021
15 - 17 November 2021
Asia Pacific Financial Education Institute (APFEI) is a forum for presentation and discussion of financial education research. It aims to promote excellent work in the field of Financial Education, foster research that can inform policy, and identify effective financial education programs, with a particular emphasis on Asia. The research committee for the APFEI consists of Dave Fernandez (Singapore Management University), Annamaria Lusardi (George Washington University), Alberto Rossi (Georgetown University), and Michael Staten (University of Arizona).
This year, the 11th Annual SKBI Conference is held in partnership with APFEI and spotlights the topic of financial education.
Climate Governance Singapore Launch
28 October 2021
Climate Governance Singapore, the Singapore chapter of the Climate Governance Initiative, was officially launched by Guest-of-Honour, Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, and attended by World Economic Forum representatives, and boards of directors in Singapore and globally. The Climate Governance Initiative is an expanding network with 15 established chapters globally, including in the UK, US, Canada, France, Australia and Malaysia. These chapters promote the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Principles and support effective climate governance in their jurisdictions.
- Watch the full recorded webinar and photo highlights here.
SKBI & SGFC presents: Panel Discussions on ESG Measurements & Standards
31 August 2021
With the growth of sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investing, the measurement and assessment of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts of investment is becoming an imperative issue. Numerous concerns have been raised over the reliability of existing ESG ratings, including the incomparability between different ESG metrics, biases and inconsistencies in rating construction, and low correlations between different ratings. This calls for greater standardization of ESG information disclosure and impact measurement, as well as properly valuing impact, not just in its natural unit but also in monetary terms.
The Sim Kee Boon Institute (SKBI) and Singapore Green Finance Centre (SGFC) presented a live webinar on ESG Measurements and Standards on 31 August 2021. It was held as a side event of the 4th Annual Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance & Investment (GRASFI) Conference. The session covered two main topics: (1) divergence and convergence of different ESG ratings, and (2) how measurements can move beyond ratings towards an impact-weighted account.
We were honoured to have the following esteemed speakers at our event.
Industry panel on recent development of impact measurement
- Moderator: Dave Fernandez, Professor of Finance (Practice), SMU; Director, SKBI; Co-Director, SGFC
- Panellists:
- Dave Chen, CEO/Chairman, Equilibrium; Adjunct Professor of Finance, Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
- Adrian De Groot Ruiz, Executive Director, Impact Institute
- Wong Dan Chi, Head of ESG Integration, APAC, Schroders; Adjunct Faculty, Singapore Management University
Research and policy panel on measurements and standards
- Moderator: Liang Hao, Associate Professor of Finance, SMU; Lee Kong Chian Fellow, SMU; Management Committee Member of SGFC
- Panellists:
- Andrew King, Questrom Professor in Management, Boston University
- Shawn Cole, John G. McLean Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
- Michael Tang, Head of Listing Policy & Product Admission, Singapore Exchange (SGX)
Related Article (What lies beneath Impact Measurement in the world of Business): Click here to read.
Fireside Chat: Transforming Business with Climate Related Data Integration
28 May 2021
Speaking at the final day of the S&P Global's inaugural Sustainable1 conference, SKBI Director, Dave Fernandez, encouraged the audience to embrace the change towards sustainability. Although it might be hard for Asia to achieve net zero targets in the same timeline as OECD countries, this does not mean nothing should be done now. Targets and goals need to be set, even if it is for 2050 or beyond. Everyone can play their part in embracing this change; be it governments who set the targets, Asian firms who can lead in this area or the workforce who can be educated and informed about green issues.
Inflation and Cost of Living in Singapore & Asia
29 April 2021
The Sim Kee Boon Institute (SKBI), together with the IMF - Singapore Regional Training Institute and DBS Bank, presented a live webinar on Inflation and Cost of Living in Singapore and Asia: Post-Pandemic Implications.
This two-part discussion sheds light on these issues from two angles. In part one, the panellists explore the potential for inflation overshooting in developed economies, after below-target-target outcomes for years. In the second part, the panellists look at emerging Asia, where a nascent recovery is underpinned by buoyant exports. Demand-pull inflation looks unlikely given the lack of large stimulus packages, possible delays in vaccination-driven normalization, and a distressed service sector. Still, Asia has traditionally imported inflation through food and energy channels; moreover, tight semiconductor, shipping, and consumer durables markets could boost costs this year. Understanding these opposing drivers affecting cost-of-living and inflation are critical for the design and effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policies.
- Click here to view event photos.
CNA Leadership Summit 2021: Green Recovery
22 April 2021
Professor Dave Fernandez, Director, Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics, SMU and Co-Director, Singapore Green Finance Centre, spoke as a panellist at the Channel NewsAsia Leadership Summit 2021, moderated by Ms Dawn Tan, CNA Presenter.
The panelists were:
Prof Dave Fernandez, Director, Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics, SMU and Co-Director, Singapore Green Finance Centre
Mr Michael Reed, Chief Executive Officer, RBC Singapore and Head of Wealth Management, Southeast Asia RBC Wealth Management
Ms Radish Singh, Financial Crime Compliance Leader, Deloitte Southeast Asia
Dr Bambang Susantono, Vice President, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
CNA (Green Recovery, 9pm), Part 1
CNA (Green Recovery, 9pm), Part 2
ADBI-SKBI Joint Virtual Conference on Digitalization and Sustainable Economic Development
8 - 10 December 2020
The digital economy is improving productivity and competitiveness within and across economies. It could also have substantial positive effects on macroeconomic performance as well as enhance regional and global economic integration and help economies achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, policy makers must consider digitalization’s impacts on international capital flows, trade, and labor markets.
This ADBI-SKBI virtual conference will feature new research on the role of digitalization in enhancing sustainable, inclusive, and balanced growth in Asia. Areas of exploration will include its potential to reduce market entry barriers, lower inequality, and foster social and economic inclusion. Identifying policies that can leverage digitalization to promote sustainable development will be an additional focus.
10th Annual SKBI Conference on COVID-19, Financial Fragility and Resilience
Webinar, 2 December 2020
Even before COVID-19, many families were living without a savings buffer sufficient to cover significant and unexpected expenses. The sizable economic shock created by this year's pandemic exposed the high financial fragility of many households. This year’s SKBI Annual Conference will feature a keynote by the economist behind the concept of household financial fragility, Prof. Annamaria Lusardi, who will also highlight the positive role that financial education and literacy can play in building resilience against shocks such as COVID-19.
Prof. Anna will then discuss the situation in different parts of Asia Pacific with the former Indonesian Finance Minister, Muhamad Chatib Basri, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines (BSP), Chuchi Fonacier, and Melbourne Institute Director, Abigail Payne. The welcome address will be made by SKBI Advisory Board Chair and Singapore Exchange CEO, Loh Boon Chye.
Workshop on Electricity and Environmental Markets
23 – 25 November 2020
SKBI hosted a workshop on Electricity and Environment facilitated by Professor Frank Wolak, Stanford University and Professor Alex Galetovic, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (Chile) & Hoover Institution (Stanford) over the 1.5 days. The participants spent majority of their time playing the roles of generating companies and load-serving entities in the game simulation. The objective of the workshop is to gain real-world experience with how environmental policies such as renewables portfolio standards, carbon taxes, and cap-and-trade markets for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions interact with outcomes in a wholesale electricity market with conventional and intermittent renewable resources.
ADBI-JBF-SMU Joint Conference on Green and Ethical Finance
16 - 18 September 2020
The Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics co-hosted with the Asian Development Bank Institute and the Journal of Banking and Finance, the Conference on Green and Ethical Finance on 16-18 September 2020. The climate change challenge has raised important questions on the role of the financial sector in transforming the global economy towards a carbon-neutral equilibrium. Similarly, the experience of the Global Financial Crisis has raised important ethical and governance questions for financial sector actors, with the result that ESG (environmental, social and governance) dimensions are increasingly important for practitioners, regulators and academics. These topics, however, have only slowly started to attract the interest of researchers. With this conference, we hope to deepen and broaden this new strand of the literature further and support the development of policy recommendations in this area for Asia-Pacific economies.
Is This Time Different? Navigating the Transition to a Post-Covid World
9 July 2020
Prof Carmen Reinhart - Vice President and Chief Economist, World Bank Group
Co-hosts:
- Prof Maria Socorro Gochoco-Bautista, University of the Philippines
- Prof Dave Fernandez, Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics, Singapore Management University
Guest questioners:
- Carlos "Sonny" García Domínguez III, Secretary of Finance, Republic of the Philippines
- Karl Chua, Acting Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning, Republic of the Philippines
- Prof Benjamin Diokno, Governor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
The Importance of Data Connectivity in Financial Services
6 February 2020
Speaker, U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs, Brent McIntosh discussed the impact of data connectivity and cross-border data flows in financial services on economic growth and financial stability. The ability to hold and transfer financial information securely has always been essential to the safe and efficient provision of financial services – and thus to economic growth. Data connectivity is critical to driving the productivity growth that is a key source of higher living standards in the future. Cross-border data flows are also essential to supporting financial stability, to ensure financial regulators have access to the information required to fulfill their mandates and promote the safety and soundness of the financial system. When data connectivity is imperiled, firms, consumers, and regulators are all worse off, and we risk losing out on the benefits of today’s digital economy. Under Secretary McIntosh discussed how policymakers can address these new and complex issues and why greater cooperation among financial authorities is key to ensure we all achieve the benefits of enhanced data connectivity in financial services.
9th Annual SKBI Conference 2019 on “Sustainable Finance”
7 – 8 November 2019
“Sustainable Finance” is one of the emerging research areas that we now focus on at the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) and is also the title of our 9th Annual SKBI Conference. This two-day event, hosted in partnership with the TBLI Group of the Netherlands, will occur on 7-8 November 2019. The conference is intended for practitioners, policymakers, and academics. Along with plenary session keynote speeches and panels, there will be four separate sessions of parallel workshops to allow for smaller-group interactions.
Macroeconomic Stabilization in the Digital Age
16 – 17 October 2019
Over the past decade, the global financial crisis and the rise of the digital economy have created new challenges for the management of the economy. During this period, emerging economies have had to deal with large and volatile capital flows. While such capital flows can have substantial benefits for economies in terms of growth and development, they can also pose substantial risks if not properly managed. Achieving macroeconomic stability can be fraught with difficulty when capital inflows lead to greater volatility of domestic consumption, currency and maturity mismatches, as well as boom/bust cycles in asset prices. New approaches to capital flow management and improving resilience to capital flow shocks are thus more important than ever.
In conjunction with these developments, the onset and growth of fintech has implications for cross-border capital flows. Innovations related to payments systems, maturity transformation, and the allocation of capital can create challenges for macroeconomic stabilization to the extent that they disrupt the efficacy of policy tools used to manage the economy.
Selected papers were featured at the conference hosted at the Sim Kee Boon Institute at the Singapore Management University in Singapore on 16-17 October 2019.
Asia Pacific Financial Education Institute
16 - 17 September 2019
The Asia Pacific Financial Education Institute (APFEI) is a forum for presentation and discussion of financial education research. For this event, SKBI has partnered with the world's leading center for financial literacy research and policy, the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC). Modelled after the “Cherry Blossom Financial Education Institute” held annually in Washington, DC, the APFEI’s goal is to promote excellent work in this field, foster research that can inform policy, and identify effective financial education programs, with a particular emphasis on Asia.
Dialogue with Dr Mary Daly
7 June 2019
SMU Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) is honoured to host Dr Mary Daly, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for a "Dialogue with Students" on 7 June 2019 at SMU.
Textual Sentiment and Sector specific reaction, by Professor Wolfgang Hardle
12 March 2019
ESG & Impact Investing: Current Status & Lessons Learned, by Robert Rubinstein
22 January 2019
High-mixed Frequency Forecasting Methods with Applications to Philippine GDP and Inflation
23 November 2018
8th Annual SKBI Conference 2018 on "Charting a Roadmap toward a New Data Regime for the Digital Economy"
20 - 21 June 2018
7th Annual SKBI Conference 2017 on "Advances in Data Science and Implications for Business"
26 May 2017
6th Annual SKBI Conference 2016 on FinTech and Financial Inclusion
"Nascent financial technologies for enhancing access to finance"
18 - 19 August 2016
Seminar: Smart Contracts and Blockchains - Trends and Developments in China
1 June 2016
Video
Speakers' Presentation Slides
SKBI-BFI Conference on "Smart Nation, Silicon Valley Technology and Connectivity Inclusion"
17 November 2015
5th Annual SKBI Conference 2015 on "Digital Banking, Financial Inclusion and Impact Investing"
6 - 7 May 2015
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