EU Finance - The Future of Finance

EU Finance podcast host Aidas Palubinskas chats with outgoing EU Commissioner for Financial services, financial stability, and Capital Markets Union Mairead McGuinness about what she’s gotten done over the last 4 years. It’s the first ever EU Finance VODcast, so head over to our youtube channel @EUFinance and take a look!

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas chats with Mr. Brice De Schietere, the European External Action Service’s (EEAS) Head of sanctions division. The External Action Service is like the EU’s foreign ministry. As friends of the podcast already know, it’s DG FISMA (The Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union) that prepares joint proposals for Regulations on sanctions for adoption by the Council of the European Union, and represents the European Commission in sanctions-related discussions with Member States. The EEAS is our partner in this, especially when it comes to dealing with countries OUTSIDE the EU.

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas chats with Chairperson of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) - Petra Hielkema. She was appointed as chair back in September 2021, so she’s a bit more than halfway through this term. EIOPA is at the heart of insurance and occupational pensions supervision in the EU.

EU Finance podcast host Aidas Palubinskas talks with the Chairperson of the European Banking Authority (EBA) - Jose Manuel Campa. He was first appointed to the Chair of the EBA in March 2019 and was recently RE-appointed for a second term. He represents the Authority and by chairing the meetings of the Board of Supervisors and of the Management Board steers the strategic direction of the Authority. EU Finance Newshub: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/finance-news-hub_en European Banking Authority: https://www.eba.europa.eu/homepage

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas and Almoro Rubin de Cervin, head of the EU’s Banking regulation and supervision unit, examine where we are with banking reform, and if is it really the final step in this reform of banking rules.

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas talks with Olena Loboiko, an expert policy officer in the EU Commission’s Anti Money Laundering unit. They discuss the creation of a new EU authority to fight money laundering - AMLA. It is part of the Commission’s commitment to protect EU citizens and the EU's financial system from money laundering and terrorist financing. Anti-Money Laundering: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/financial-crime/eu-context-anti-money-laundering-and-countering-financing-terrorism_en AMLA: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/financial-crime/amla_en EU Finance Podcast on Anti Money Laundering: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/eu-finance-podcast-future-finance/eu-finance-podcast-one-about-anti-money-laundering_en EU Finance Newshub: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/finance-news-hub_en

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas talks with Elodie Feller of the Platform on Sustainable Finance and EU Commission expert Sophie Rathmes about an important facet of sustainable finance – transition finance. The aim behind transition finance is to support companies that are at different starting points to become more sustainable in the future and to create the right conditions so capital flows can finance a more sustainable economy. EU Finance Newshub: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/finance-news-hub_en Transition Finance: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/publications/sustainable-finance-package-2023_en#transition Platform on Sustainable Finance: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/sustainable-finance/overview-sustainable-finance/platform-sustainable-finance_en https://finance.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2024-01/240129-sf-platform-report-market-practices-compendium-report_en.pdf EU Finance Podcast episode on sustainability reporting: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/eu-finance-podcast-future-finance/eu-finance-podcast-one-about-sustainability-reporting_en

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas and Dominique Laboureix - the chair of the Single Resolution Board (the SRB) talk about the SRB, what it does, and WHY it does. This is a companion episode to S02E02 on the subject of banking union, bank resolution and related matters. EU Finance Newsletter: https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/departments-and-executive-agencies/financial-stability-financial-services-and-capital-markets-union/finance-newsletter_en Single Resolution Mechanism and the SRB: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/banking/banking-union/single-resolution-mechanism_en#what-the-eu-is-doing-and-why

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas and Andrea Beltramello, the Head of the Commission’s resolution and deposit insurance unit, talk about reforming the EU’s banking crisis management and deposit insurance (CMDI) framework within the EU’s Banking Union. This is the first of a two part series. Next time, we’ll be talking with Dominique Laboureix - the chair of the Single Resolution Board (the SRB) - for a deeper dive into the SRB, what it does, and WHY it does. EU Finance Newsletter: https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/departments-and-executive-agencies/financial-stability-financial-services-and-capital-markets-union/finance-newsletter_en Reform of bank crisis management and deposit insurance framework: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/publications/reform-bank-crisis-management-and-deposit-insurance-framework_en

Special Edition - this episode being released outside the usual combination of podcast and monthly EU Finance Newsletter. It’s also special, because there’s been a massive uptick in Russian disinformation regarding sanctions, and the truth is needed to combat that as soon as possible. The latest false Russian narrative is that sanctions are not working. Article after article gets pushed to world media. Russian proxies and populist politicians parrot the same line. Why? Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas talks with EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan to shed some light on the subject. Spoiler Alert! It’s because sanctions ARE indeed working. EU Finance Newsletter: https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/departments-and-executive-agencies/financial-stability-financial-services-and-capital-markets-union/finance-newsletter_en EUvsDisinfo: https://euvsdisinfo.eu/

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas talks with Thomas Dodd, the EU Commission’s expert on corporate reporting about how someone who wants to invest sustainably can know if the investment is really green? Well, surprise, surprise!, the EU has once again stepped up to help us out. At the beginning of this year, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) entered into force. This new directive modernises and strengthens the rules concerning the social and environmental information that companies have to report. A broader set of large companies, as well as listed SMEs, will now be required to report on sustainability.

In September 2020, the European Commission adopted the digital finance strategy to foster a more competitive and innovative European financial sector. The digital finance platform is part of this effort to support innovation in finance and build a true single market for digital financial services.EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas chats with the EU Commission’s foremost expert on the digital finance platform, Alice Guedel of DG FISMA, to help him understand the latest innovation on the platform – the Data Hub.

Back in December of 2022, the EU decided to create a new role of International Special Envoy for the Implementation of EU Sanctions to ensure continuous, high-level discussions with third countries to avoid the evasion or even the circumvention of the unprecedented sanctions that have been imposed on Russia since the start of its brutal and illegal war against Ukraine and the West. EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas chats with David O'Sullivan, a former Secretary-General of the Commission and senior EU diplomat, the EU Sanctions Envoy.

Governments borrow. The EU borrows. It borrows to get stuff done. EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas talks with Niall Bohan, the EU Commission’s Director for Asset, debt and financial Risk management in the Budget department. They walk through how the EU issues debt, how our bonds, EU bonds, work, why they work and why they’re a big, good deal. And they have some laughs along the way.

EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas chats with Axel Fougner – the EU Commission’s foremost authority on the European Green Bond Standard. Axel gives Aidas an explanation about EUGBS, how it’s going to work, why it’s going to work, and who is going to make it work. If you’re green behind the ears about bonds that might help save the planet, this episode is for you. If you’re ready to go green in your finances, give this one a listen.

Your intrepid EU Finance Podcast host Aidas Palubinskas has a quick-fire chat with Jenny Robertson, the head of the EU's Financial Markets Infrastructure unit. They're talking about something that deals with mind-boggling amounts of money. Tens of trillions of Euro. Yes, TENS of TRILLIONS of Euro. They're going to clear the air. They're going to clear the way to a better understanding of financial markets infrastructure. They're going to clear up any misunderstanding about why the EU is doing it. They're going to talk about clearing.

Brussels woke up to a clean blanket of snow this morning. It’s like there’s a beautiful single space, ready and waiting for new opportunities. Sounds like a metaphor for the EU, no? When your host Aidas Palubinskas came to work for DG FISMA, what he likes to call the EU’s Ministry of Finance - work on the Capital Markets Union – the CMU - was just getting started. The CMU is a big project, and can sound complicated sometimes. And often, it is. At its core, the Capital Markets Union is a plan to create a single market for capital in the EU. The aim is to get money – investments and savings, including those of us – ordinary savers and consumers – flowing across and around the EU so that it can benefit consumers, investors, and companies, regardless of where they are located. Putting money to work to keep the machinery of our economy moving and growing. In other words, jobs and growth, kids, jobs and growth! Aidas talks to Tanya Panova, the head of the EU Commission’s CMU department in an energetic, and fun conversation, where Aidas probably gets in a little over his head.

Instant coffee, instant oatmeal, instant mashed potatoes, instant gratification. We want it all, and we want it now. So, we’re going to talk about instant payments. On 26 October 2022, the European Commission put forward a legislative proposal on establishing instant payments. Wait, what? Don’t we already have that? Your host, Aidas Palubinskas, who knows just enough to get himself into trouble, talks with Eric Ducoulombier, the European Commission’s head for retail finance. They talk about the EU nudging the retail payments industry on instant payments and what benefits accrue to EU citizens and business, as well as how it’s going to help with Russia sanctions.

In response to the extremely volatile prices caused by Russia’s weaponisation of energy, on 18 October 2022, the EU Commission proposed a new emergency regulation to address high gas prices in the EU and ensure security of supply this winter. Aidas Palubinskas chats with the EU Commission’s Director General for Finance Sean Berrigan about the financial markets aspects.

Back in 2021, the European Commission presented an ambitious package of legislative proposals to strengthen the EU rules on anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing (AML/CFT). This included the proposal for the creation of a new EU authority to fight money laundering. Aidas Palubinskas talks with DG FISMA’s Deputy Director General Alexandra Jour Schroeder.