By Marina Zucker-Marques In the evolving landscape of international finance, the internationalization of China’s currency, the renminbi, has become a focal point of discussion. While this doesn’t suggest that the renminbi is on track to replace the US dollar, its growing influence on the international stage does represent China’s strategy to reduce its dependence on […]
What role do central banks play in designing cross-border payment infrastructure as part of a broader agenda of currency internationalization? In a new journal article published in Research in International Business and Finance, Marina Zucker-Marques focuses on China’s experience from 2008 to 2023 to trace the evolution of the renminbi’s cross-border payment network, contrasting these […]
By Ishana Ratan Low- and middle-income countries face the dual goals of decarbonization and development. It might be expected that among these countries, those with a higher share of foreign direct investment (FDI) in renewable energy will lead in the energy transition. In renewable energy, foreign companies can bring skills, technology and capital to markets […]
Foreign direct investment is often cited as critical for renewable energy growth in low- and middle-income countries. However, despite the promise of foreign investment, countries like Colombia capable of quickly scaling up solar are still facing an energy crisis. Why has solar installation slowed in countries with experienced foreign investors, but continues to steadily grow […]
By Diego Morro From 2000-2023, China’s development finance institutions (DFIs), the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM), and other Chinese commercial lenders provided approximately $182.3 billion in development finance to Africa, an amount comparable to the $209.5 billion committed to Africa by the World Bank from 2000-2022. The Boston University […]
By Tim Hirschel-Burns The 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), taking place from November 11-29, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan, has been dubbed the “Finance COP” and is expected to deliver a new climate finance goal, known in COP jargon as the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). This NCQG will succeed the climate finance goal […]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) holds 90.5 million ounces of gold on its balance sheet, a legacy from its founding in 1944, when member countries paid their quotas in gold. This idle gold is sitting on the IMF’s balance sheet at a historical cost of $45 per ounce, compared to $2,600 per ounce on global […]
By Samantha Igo On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, the Boston University Global Development Policy Center and Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution co-hosted a high-level panel alongside the 2024 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C. on Global South perspectives for international financial architecture reform. The event featured a […]
By Yuan Liu On October 21, 2024, the Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) and BU Institute for Global Sustainability co-hosted Brett Christophers, Professor of Human Geography at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University to discuss his new book, “The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won’t Save the Planet,” […]
A new update to the China’s Global Energy Finance (CGEF) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, estimates that from 2000-2023, China’s two development finance institutions (DFIs)—the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM)—provided 367 loans, totaling $209 billion to 118 public borrowers in 68 countries for energy […]