Background:

Post pandemic, most economies face unique policy challenges in the midst of increasing uncertainties in the macroeconomic landscape. Pandemic outbreak in major links of global supply chains have resulted in lingering supply disruptions, feeding inflation in many countries. Monetary policy normalization is imminent. Wide divergence in economic prospects across countries remains a major concern. In the medium term, geopolitical turbulence and climate change related policy responses to mitigate transition risks have added to the challenging situation prevailing. Generally, risks to economic prospects have increased, bringing in greater complexities to policy trade-offs. At the same time, emergence of platform economies, the increasing push towards digitalization, innovations in digital assets and digital lending are transforming the financial sector with long term implications. All these developments could, in the medium term, potentially redefine the business strategies of financial intermediaries. We are poised to witness significant changes in the financial system and regulatory standards with greater capacity to aid economic recovery and handle the financial fall out of the geopolitical turmoil.

Objective:

This maiden one day CAFRAL conference will provide Chief Economists and their senior team members a platform to meet and review the post pandemic macroeconomic, geopolitical and environmental developments. Building on this, the delegates would discuss the potential impact these developments including possible changes in regulatory standards could have on the strategy and operation of financial intermediaries. Alongside, discussions would seek to explore how, and how far, the increasing pace of digitalization, digital transformation and use of advanced technologies in the financial sector would change the nature of financial intermediation, particularly banking.

Conference Highlights

Following issues/topics would be discussed:

• Post pandemic developments and trends in the global economy- impact on India and risks to economic prospects.
• Current geopolitical turbulence and lingering effect of pandemic- implications of disruption to global supply chains.
• Emergence of platform economies and changing face of banking/ financial intermediation.
• Climate Change and physical & transition risk - Resilience of the financial system and the economy.