IMF Podcasts

Technology is often what drives big changes, but innovations like cryptocurrencies and blockchain are transforming the world of money at breakneck speed. While the volatility of digital currencies like Bitcoin has kept it out of traditional banking systems, stablecoin is gaining ground in the race for a suitable digital counterpart to fiat currency. Dante Disparte heads strategy and global policy at Circle, which issues two of the world's most widely used stablecoins. In this podcast, he says stablecoin money can help overcome inefficiencies in the traditional banking system without compromising financial security. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4odNIlK

While artificial intelligence continues to outperform our human abilities in many areas, Pablo Peña believes critical thinking and curiosity are what will keep us in the driver's seat. AI can only draw on human-produced knowledge, Peña says, "The version of AI that we know now is only a sophisticated remix of what we know already." Peña is an associate professor of economics at the University of Chicago and author of Human Capital for Humans: An Accessible Introduction to the Economic Science of People. In this Podcast, Peña and journalist Rhoda Metcalfe discuss his article in the December issue of Finance & Development magazine. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4ptL4cE Read the article at IMF.org/FANDD

Maintaining good relations promotes trade, but can trade repair bad relations? Marc Palen examines how Britain's repeal of the Corn Laws in the mid-1800s sparked its interest in free trade and the idea of economic interdependence for a peaceful and prosperous world. Palen, an archaeologist, historian, and author, discusses his latest book, Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free World. In this podcast, he talks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about his research into the origins of globalization. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4ra9n0O Read the article at IMF.org/FANDD

Sub-Saharan Africa is holding its own despite a deteriorating global trade and aid landscape. The latest outlook projects growth to remain steady at 4.1 percent this year with a modest pickup in 2026. While the region has once again proven its resilience, what will it take to realize its full potential? IMF Economist Athene Laws helps pull together the biannual Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa. In this podcast, she says removing barriers to private firm growth is crucial for providing the jobs needed by the region's young and rapidly expanding labor force. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4i7F6vt Read the full report at IMF.org

It's not unusual for countries to reevaluate trade relationships as the global economy evolves. However, the persistent uncertainty brought on by tariffs has prompted entire regions to reconsider long-established alliances and rethink new ones that were unimaginable only a year ago. Gordon Hanson, international economist and Professor of Urban Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, was invited to join a panel discussion on the global economy during the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings. In this podcast, Hanson says, we need to reinvigorate the process of building new trade agreements that reflect the new world, and middle- and newly high-income countries should play a leading role. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4qT4LvS

While the US dollar has been at the top of its game for decades, new players are testing its reign. Chess grandmaster-turned-economist Kenneth Rogoff has long cautioned of the dangers that high debt and fiscal burdens could have on the world's favorite reserve currency, and in his latest book, Our Dollar, Your Problem, he says its share of global reserves may be on the decline. Kenneth Rogoff is currently the Maurits C. Boas Chair of International Economics at Harvard. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3WXdHCZ

The US is a breeding ground for startups, and California has been the center of that universe since the dot-com boom in the late 1990s. But rising costs, tighter quarters, and increasing bureaucracy have many tech innovators seeking greener pastures, well beyond Silicon Valley. Princeton University’s Swati Bhatt has been studying the evolution of America’s startup boom in recent years and has uncovered a surprising trend toward rural communities, better known for raising cattle than for high-tech infrastructure. In this podcast, Bhatt talks to journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about these new entrepreneurs opting for a different lifestyle. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3WcTvfM  Read the article in Finance & Development magazine  IMF.org/fandd

While countries came together in the late 80s to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism, technology and the advent of virtual currencies have further complicated the tracking of illicit financial flows across borders. Over $51 billion in cryptocurrency was used by criminals last year to circumvent traditional banking regulations. Chady El Khoury is an assistant general counsel and heads the Financial Integrity Group at the IMF. In this podcast, El Khoury says the anonymity of virtual currency transactions is supercharging the ability for criminals to grow their empires. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3KOjzeA  

Bringing nations together to maintain peace and security and raise living standards for all seemed a utopian idea in the early 20th century. Still, geopolitics, economics and vision by world leaders eventually came together to make it a reality. But what happens when the great powers that have been supporting the multilateral system decide it’s not working for them anymore? Danny Quah has studied the increase in global economic tensions and sees the rising East as an important factor. Quah is the Li Ka Shing Professor of Economics at the National University of Singapore. In this podcast, he says that while economics and geopolitics worked together to build the multilateral rules-based system, they are now working together to break it apart. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4grrx9n  Read the article in Finance & Development magazine: IMF.org/fandd

A lot has happened in the global economy since 2019, and few people know that better than Gita Gopinath. As the IMF Chief Economist and subsequently the institution’s First Deputy Managing Director, she navigated unprecedented global crises, including the pandemic and the ensuing great lockdown, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, inflation, and geopolitical fragmentation. Her career as a Professor at Harvard University was put on hold to take on those IMF roles, but now she’s back. How will the 2025 version of Professor Gopinath compare to the 2018 version? In this podcast, Gita Gopinath reflects on her experiences at the Fund and what she’s taking back with her to Harvard. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4npTyR5

As tech innovation, particularly in the field of AI, is increasingly focused on a few key players, the industries benefiting from these tools have also become more concentrated, which Carl Benedikt Frey says could weigh on growth. Frey is an associate professor of AI and Work at Oxford University, and his latest book, How Progress Ends, suggests that waves of technological and economic progress are often followed by stagnation. In this podcast, Frey says the concentration of AI-using industries will push the direction of technological change further towards automation rather than product innovation. Transcript: http://bit.ly/45Z1IbR  Read the article in Finance & Development magazine: imf.org/fandd

There was a time when economic expertise ruled policy debates at virtually all levels of government. And while trade, taxation, and other important policies are still guided by economic analysis, economists increasingly feel sidelined by politics. In her former roles as chief economist at the US Treasury Department and senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Harvard professor Karen Dynan has seen too much solid economic research be rejected due to overly dense presentations. In this podcast, Dynan says economists need to engage with policymakers and the public at a level that they can understand if they want to be part of the policy conversation. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4ojNbA6 Read the article in Finance & Development magazine: www.imf.org/fandd

Public resistance to new policies often leaves policymakers scratching their heads. What seems a perfectly reasonable policy to a government is often perceived by its citizenry as regressive. Stefanie Stantcheva’s multidisciplinary approach to research digs deep into the minds of people at the receiving end to help design better policies. Stantcheva is a professor of economics at Harvard University, and this year’s recipient of the prestigious Clark Medal, awarded by the American Economic Association for the most significant contributions to economic thought by an economist under 40. She sat down with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe to discuss how tax policy impacts innovation for the IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics. Transcript: https://bit.ly/453h1ku

Most advanced economies are witnessing their populations age and labor forces shrink, and the same trend is expected to hold for the largest emerging economies within the decade. So the largely touted demographic dividend of previous decades is making way for a demographic drag. Diaa Noureldin is an economist in the World Economic Studies division in the IMF Research Department. In this podcast, he says healthy aging and policies that keep people in work longer could offset the demographic drag on growth. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4jS000P  Read the article in Finance & Development IMF.org/fandd

After four long years of numerous crises, sub-Saharan Africa’s hard-won recovery has been disrupted by yet another shock. The sudden shift in the global outlook has clouded the region’s short-term prospects and significantly complicated policy making. Economist Andrew Tiffin and his team produce the IMF Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa. In this podcast, Tiffin says the current shake-up in global value chains, while disruptive, can create new trade and investment opportunities. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ZsstTI Read the report at IMF.org

While the German economy has been one of Europe’s strongest for decades, its performance in recent years has fallen short of expectations. Why is this once economic powerhouse now lagging? Ulrike Malmendier is a professor of economics and finance at the University of California, Berkeley, and serves on the German Council of Economic Advisors to the German government. In this podcast, Malmendier says an aging population and a lack of workers are contributing to the country’s economic woes.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3SVnmaW

Malaysia is one of Southeast Asia's strongest economies and has recently been lauded for its ability to keep inflation in check. But Malaysia is not immune to the rising global trade tensions and uncertainty of late. In this podcast, IMF Asia and Pacific Department head Krishna Srinivasan sits down with Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour to discuss the intricacies of central bank operations amid this changing landscape. The conversation occurred in the Governor Talks series held during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings. Watch the webcast at IMF.org

After years of economic turmoil, Argentina’s central bank chief has doubled down on efforts to restore confidence in the Argentine peso and normalize its economy. In this podcast, Governor Santiago Bausili and IMF Western Hemisphere Department head, Rodrigo Valdés discuss the challenging process of stabilizing Argentina’s bi-monetary economy. The conversation occurred in the Governor Talks series held during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4iUN3mu

Never underestimate the value of a good idea. Ideas are the starting point for innovation; few things fuel economic growth more than innovation. However, most of today’s innovators emerge from a narrow demographic group with specific backgrounds, which Xavier Jaravel says creates the phenomena of “Lost Einsteins” and “Lost Marie Curies". Jaravel is a professor of economics at the London School of Economics. In this podcast, he talks about the benefits of unleashing untapped talent and broadening the pool of innovators worldwide. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4j5jrTS Read the article at IMF.org/fandd

Economists have long surmised that people’s knowledge and skills contribute significantly to economic development, but to what degree can access to an education change lives? Amory Gethin has compiled data from surveys from more than 150 countries to measure what economists have never measured before: the correlation between education and individual incomes. Gethin is an economist in the World Bank Development Research Group working on growth and inequality and has sought to quantify the economic value of education as it relates to global poverty reduction. In this podcast, Gethin says investing in education advances those who pursue degrees and those who don’t. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4iFzYOl