Business Forums

The IGF hosts regulator business and policy forums throughout the year.

The IGF is engaged with a number of business organisations such as PwC, Finsia and BlackRock as well as some policy makers and international institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Bank for International Settlements. The IGF has regulatory business and policy forums throughout the year.

An International Forum on: The Opportunities and Risks of AI Technologies in Finance, 2024

Despite being emerging technologies, Generative AI tools and Large Language Models (LLMs) are being adopted at a faster rate than previous general purpose technologies. While the use of Generative AI and other AI technologies holds the potential for transformational changes across various industries, sectors, systems and economies, it also presents significant risks.

The IGF has organised a major international forum on the above theme in collaboration with the Reserve Bank of Australia, The purpose of this forum was to discuss the above theme and consider some of the following issues:

The impact of AI on the economy and the implications for central banks as guardians of price and financial stability.
The implications of the use of AI on financial stability, financial market resilience, and potential market failures.
The impact of AI use on income inequality, the labor market, individual financial security and data privacy.
Frictions, market failures and disparities in AI adoption/use and regulatory solutions.
The relationship between AI and climate change.

Hosted by Jenny Hancock, Manager, International Affairs, Financial Stability, Reserve Bank of Australia

Keynote Speakers of this Forum:

Leonardo Gambacorta, Bank for International Settlements
Markus Pelger, Stanford University
Baozhong Yang, Georgia State University

International Forum on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), Fintech, and Digital Finance, 2024

Based on extensive research and previous events regarding the above issues, the IGF has organised another significant international forum in 2024 centred on this theme, focusing on the following policy issues:

Central Bank Digital Currencies
The benefits of issuing a CBDC (e.g., as regards to monetary policy, the efficiency of payments, and financial inclusiveness) and the risks (e.g. to financial stability, the two-tier banking system)
Key considerations of CBDC design, to balance benefits and risks for the central bank, consumers, markets and institutions (Fundamental principles and key features that a CBDC design and its supporting infrastructure would need to demonstrate to meet all competing public policy objectives)
Alternative lending technologies/models in FinTech ( including Decentralized Exchanges, Protocols for Loanable Funds, crowdfunding, ICOs)
Financial inclusion and democratization through FinTech Innovations.

Keynote speakers:

Agostino Capponi, Director of the Center for Digital Finance and Technologies, Columbia University and an Editor, Finance, Management Science

Lin Will Cong, FinTech Initiative at Cornell, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University and an Editor, Finance, Management Science

Forum on Climate Finance, Decarbonisation, and Green Industry Development

The Institute of Global Finance at UNSW Business School and the UNSW Institute for Industrial Decarbonisation have organised a policy forum on climate finance on the above theme. The event brought together outstanding speakers who shared how engineers, scientists, the business community, central banks, the financial market, policymakers, and others can collaborate to mitigate the impact of climate change through their efforts and contributions within their industries.

The overarching themes and discussions have focused on the following issues: The significance of green finance lies in fast-tracking transformational changes in industries and systems, as well as building a resilient financial architecture for the emerging low-carbon global economy. Central issues include transitioning to cleaner energy sources, improved planning for water, energy, and transport infrastructure, and developing new clean tech facilities for producing critical industrial materials such as metals, plastics, ammonia, and cement.

Varya Davison, Strategy & Energy Transition and Sustainability Partner at PwC
David Eyre, CEO, UNSW Institute for Industrial Decarbonisation
Jeremy Lawson, Executive Lead on Climate at the Reserve Bank of Australia
Fariborz Moshirian, Director, UNSW Institute of Global Finance
Cyn-Young Park, Director of Trade Division in the Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

THE 37TH AUSTRALASIAN FINANCE AND BANKING CONFERENCE (AFBC) WAS HELD FROM 11 DECEMBER TO 13 DECEMBER 2024 IN SYDNEY.

The Phd Forum of the conference was held on 10 December. Venue, UNSW Campus.

International Forum; “the Growing Gaps Between Climate Change, Climate Action and Climate Finance”, Sydney, Australia, 2023

The purpose of this forum was to discuss whether the final agreements at COP28 would lead to adequate financial resources becoming available to mitigate the impact of climate risk in developing countries and also ensure that corporations in developed countries can become more proactive with respect to the ESG principles. Participants included representatives from the business community, researchers, regulators and government.

Mark Howden, Vice Chair, IPCC Working Group II, Nobel Peace Prize 2007 (for contributing to awareness and measures to deal with climate change), Australian National University.

International Forum on Global Banking and Resilience, 2023, Sydney, Australia

The purpose of this Forum was to analyse the role of central banks in financial stability, including their roles since COVID19 to navigate a number of major challenges, including supply chain, high inflation and global geopolitics and a major banking crisis facing medium size banks in the US, such as the Silicon Valley Bank. The Forum also discussed how any potential bad financial or economic news could lead to bank runs and the potential for banking system instability that in turn could potentially trigger a global crisis. Participants were from the business community, the commercial banking community and researchers.

Keynote: Dr Bradley Jones, Assistant Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia

International Forum on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), Fintech, and Digital Finance, Sydney, Australia, 2023

The purpose of this forum was to see the potential use of central bank digital currencies, including both the positive and negative consequences of them in terms of financial risk and financial stability. Furthermore, the Forum has explored the potential risks associated with digital currencies and FinTech that could influence the level of interconnectivity, productivity and yet have the potential to generate systemic risk.

The following high profile researchers were the keynote speakers of this Forum:

Agostino Capponi, Director of the Center for Digital Finance and Technologies, Columbia University and an Editor, Finance, Management Science

Lin Will Cong, FinTech Initiative at Cornell, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University and an Editor, Finance, Management Science

Jonathan Kearns, Chief Economist and the Head of Regulatory Affairs, Challenger Funds Management

Joint Forum of the IGF and Asian Development Bank on Climate Change and Climate Finance, Sydney, Australia, 2023

The Institute of Global Finance at UNSW Business School, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, organised this Forum for the business community, for legal professionals, researchers, financial market practitioners and policy makers.

The speakers included:

Cyn-Young Park, Director of Trade Division in the Climate Change and Sustainable Development, the Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Varya Davidson, Partner and Energy Transition Leader, PwC Australia

Anna Park, Senior Manager, Climate Analysis & Policy, International Department, Reserve Bank of Australia

Bianca Sartori-Sigrist, Associate Director, ESG/Responsible Investing Advisory, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, KPMG

Fariborz Moshirian, Director of the Institute of Global Finance, UNSW Business School

A Forum on Climate Change, Climate Finance: Current Experience and Future Directions, Sydney, Australia, 2023

The purpose of this Forum was to highlight some of the challenges and opportunities facing policy makers, the business community and other participants at COP28 and also to briefly share a few highlights of the recently published book by the Institute of Global Finance and the Asian Development Bank on climate change and climate finance, transition to cleaner sources of energy, global governance of climate change, the role of central banks and issues related to ESG

Opening Remarks:

Karin Sanders, Professor HRM and Organisational Psychology, Senior Deputy Dean (Research & Enterprise), UNSW Business School

The keynote speakers:

Professor Tim Flannery (who is one of Australia's leading writers on climate change. An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, Professor Flannery was named Australian of the Year in 2007.)

Cyn-Young Park, Director of Trade Division in the Climate Change and Sustainable Development, the Asian Development Bank

Fariborz Moshirian, Director of the Institute of Global Finance, UNSW Business

International Forum on Climate Change and Climate Finance , 2022

The Institute of Global Finance, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank organised a major international forum on climate change and climate finance.

As a follow up to COP27, an international forum on climate change and Climate finance was held within the AFBC conference program to analyse and discuss various issues associated with the environment, climate change and climate finance, considering the outcomes of this summit.

The keynote of this international forum was:

Keynote: Nobel Laureate, Professor Robert Engle from NYU

Speaker: Dr Cyn-Young Park, Head of Research and Engagement of the Asian Development Bank

An International Forum on FinTech and Central Bank Digital Currencies , 2022

A major international forum was held in Sydney on the above theme.

There were over 20 major research policy papers presented by senior officials and researchers from the IMF, the US Federal Reserve and others at this major international forum.

Keynote Speaker: Stijn Claessens, Head of Financial Stability Policy and Deputy Head of the Monetary and Economics, at Bank for International Settlements ( Switzerland)

International Forum on Climate Change and Climate Finance, Sydney, Australia, 2021

The Institute of Global Finance, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank organised a major international forum on climate change and climate finance, as part of the Australasian Finance and Banking Conference. The keynotes of this international forum included:

William Nordhaus, Yale University (Nobel Laureate in Economics)

James Skea, Professor of Sustainable Energy, Imperial College London, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group on Energy, and Chair of Scotland’s Just Transition Commission

Bambang Susantono, Vice President, Asian Development Bank John Tomac, Partner at PwC, (ESG and sustainability) Christopher Whitehead, CEO of FINSIA