A compilation of selected speeches by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

This book addresses 3 questions: is money a way to create a European Union identity? If so, which type of identity is this? And in what ways is the EU identity changing? The book brings together experts from a variety of backgrounds and academic approaches to analyse the law of money and payments on the one side, and the law of capital and investments on the other. The book is divided into 2 parts. Part I covers scriptural, electronic, and digital money. It analyses the European framework for payment services users, explores limits and challenges of the Banking Union, and looks at the project for a digital euro. Part II investigates the policy and regulatory drivers of the EU's changing identity, from the early modern roots of the European law of money and capital to the regulatory strategy set in the Capital Markets Union and the role conferred on venture capital; from the fintech-based developments of payment systems to the newly-established fiscal and monetary policies in the post-COVID phase. The book will be of interest to researchers, academics and policy makers in the fields of law and regulation, as well as political economy and political sciences.

Despite advancements in cybersecurity measures, the financial sector continues to grapple with data breaches, fraud, and privacy concerns. Traditional security measures are often insufficient to combat sophisticated cyber threats, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory non-compliance. Moreover, the rapid pace of technological change makes it challenging for organizations to keep up with emerging threats and implement effective data protection strategies. This calls for a proactive and multidisciplinary approach to address financial data security's complex and evolving landscape. Safeguarding Financial Data in the Digital Age offers a timely and comprehensive solution to the challenges faced by the financial sector in securing sensitive information. By bringing together insights from finance, cybersecurity, and technology, this book provides a holistic understanding of the threats and opportunities in financial data security. It equips academics, industry professionals, policymakers, and students with the knowledge and tools needed to enhance financial data protection measures through detailed analyses, case studies, and practical recommendations. By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, this book serves as a valuable resource for shaping the future of financial data security in the digital age.

The audited consolidated financial statements of the International Monetary Fund as of April 30, 2019 and 2018

China’s bond market is destined to play an increasingly important role, both at home and abroad. And the inclusion of the country’s bonds in global indexes will be a milestone for its financial market integration, bringing big opportunities as well as challenges for policymakers and investors alike. This calls for a good understanding of China’s bond market structure, its unique characteristics, and areas where reforms are needed. This volume comprehensively analyzes the different segments of China’s bond market, from sovereign, policy bank, and credit bonds, to the rapidly growing local government bond market. It also covers bond futures, green bonds, and asset-backed securities, as well as China’s offshore market, which has played a major role in onshore market development.

Calls for a more people-focused approach to statistics on economic performance, and concerns about inequality, environmental impacts, and effects of digitalization have put welfare at the top of the measurement agenda. This paper argues that economic welfare is a narrower concept than well-being. The new focus implies a need to prioritize filling data gaps involving the economic welfare indicators of the System of National Accounts 2008 (SNA) and improving their quality, including the quality of the consumption price indexes. Development of distributional indicators of income, consumption, and wealth should also be a priority. Definitions and assumptions can have big effects on these indicators and should be documented. Concerns have also arisen over potentially overlooked welfare growth from the emergence of the digital economy. However, the concern that free online platforms are missing from nominal GDP is incorrect. Also, many of the welfare effects of digitalization require complementary indicators, either because they are conceptually outside the boundary of GDP or impossible to quantify without making uncertain assumptions.

This chapter discusses various past and future aspects of the global economy. There has been a huge transformation of the global economy in the last several years. Articles on the future of energy in the global economy by Jeffrey Ball and on measuring inequality by Jonathan Ostry and Andrew Berg are also illustrated. Since the 2008 global crisis, global economists must change the way they look at the world.