News & Events

Finance, Competition and Governance: Priorities for Reform and Strategies to Phase-Out Emergency Measures

18-Jun-2009

This report describes issues that must be addressed to restore public confidence in financial markets and to put incentives in place to encourage a prudent balance between risk and the search for return in (broadly-defined) banking.

Fighting corruption around the world

12-Jun-2009

Regional initiatives help the OECD reach out globally to curb corruption. This newsletter provides highlights, events and publications from our programmes in Africa, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia and Latin America, as well as our dialogue with China.

Dealing with the financial crisis and thinking about the exit strategy

11-Jun-2009

This article looks at the stages of financial crisis management and some of the different degrees of transparency on losses and risks in the US and Europe. It compares alternative approaches to dealing with impaired assets used in the US and Europe, examines the capital needs of banks where exposure to off-balance losses remains a key issue and outlines the requirements of longer-run reform.

OECD governments are coping with exploding borrowing needs

11-Jun-2009

A new article (OECD Sovereign Borrowing Outlook 2009)  projects that gross borrowing needs of OECD governments are expected to reach almost USD 12 trillion in 2009. In response, sovereign debt managers have begun to plan or implement medium-term exit strategies to avoid future “crowding out” and issuance problems. A related article (New Challenges in the Use of Government Debt Issuance Procedures, Techniques and Policies in OECD Markets) explains that the ongoing crisis has prompted a review of sovereign issuance procedures and policies.

The crisis and its impact on cross border investment

03-Jun-2009

With the the global economic crisis, governments are now focused on restoring national economic and employment growth and financial stability which also poses risks for freedom of investment. If they all recognise that open markets will ultimately contribute to a sustainable recovery, they might be tempted to adopt “beggar thy neighbour” policies, including investment protectionism and unfair incentives to attract or retain investments, according to the OECD Secretary-General.

The OECD’s effort to help build a stronger, cleaner and fairer global economy

03-Jun-2009

The current economic crisis has exposed the deficiencies of economic global governance and the risk of having a highly integrated global economy with fragmented global economic decision-making and regulation. To improve our impact, we do need stronger, more inclusive and better coordinated international organisations, warned the OECD Secretary-General.

Latest data and analysis on financial safety nets for banks in OECD countries

18-May-2009

Government provision of a safety net for financial institutions has been a key element of the policy response to the current crisis. Existing guarantees have been expanded and new ones introduced, in particular related to bank liabilities. This OECD article , updating and broadening a previous one on deposit insurance   discusses various issues that arise from such guarantees. Potential competitive distortions, appropriate pricing and exit strategies, especially where unlimited guarantees have been extended, are some of the main issues raised.

Public Consultation: Draft General Guidance on a Policy Framework for Effective and Efficient Financial Regulation and High-level Checklist

18-May-2009

The OECD invited public comments on draft General Guidance on a Policy Framework for Effective and Efficient Financial Regulation and a related High-level Checklist.   The General Guidance contains principles that should be adopted or considered to promote an effective and efficient framework for government intervention and regulation in the financial system.

The "Global Standard” of the 21st Century

13-May-2009

The economic crisis has generated an urgent need to restore confidence in our future and make the world economy stronger, cleaner and fairer. There is growing political consensus on the need to develop a set of common principles and standards in order to ensure a more stable and sustainable development of the global economy, according to the OECD Secretary-General.

Private pensions and policy responses to the financial and economic crisis

21-Apr-2009

This paper discusses responses to the current financial and economic crisis by regulators, supervisors and policy makers in the area of private pensions. It focuses on the role of private pensions in complementing public systems and on how to design pension systems to introduce some degree of protection, improve sustainability of funding, enhance management and supervision, and step up disclosure and communication.

Second meeting of the Southern African State Owned Enterprise Network

from 27-May-2009 to 28-May-2009

After a successful launch in 2008, the Southern African State Owned Enterprise Network met again on 27-28 May 2009 in Maputo, Mozambique. The substantive issues on the agenda included appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks for SOEs, relations with stakeholders and the equitable treatment of minority shareholders.

Corporate governance and the financial crisis

The current crisis has highlighted many corporate governance failures. As part of its strategic response, the OECD is working with governments and industry to develop and put in place more effective corporate governance standards.

8th meeting of the Global Forum on Competition, 19-20 February 2009 - Paris, France

from 19-Feb-2009 to 20-Feb-2009

The 8th OECD Global Forum on Competition brought together senior competition officials from around the world to discuss the importance of competition and the role of competition authorities in the global economy, including: potential conflicts between competition policy and national champions; the impact of the informal economy on competitive markets; the balance between the public interest and competition policy in times of economic crisis; and how young competition agencies can best learn from more experienced colleagues.

10th Roundtable on Capital Market Reform in Asia

from 02-Mar-2009 to 03-Mar-2009

The 10th Tokyo Roundtable focused on the impact of the global financial crisis on Asia and the Asian response, as well as the implications of current market turmoil on stock and bond markets and unregulated entities; products and markets; financial education and awareness; regulatory efficiency and corporate governance.

Asian Roundtable Task Force on Related Party Transactions

from 05-Feb-2009 to 06-Feb-2009

For the first time, Asian and OECD policy makers met to discuss concrete solutions to detecting and curbing abusive related party transactions – one of the most serious corporate governances failures. Participants focused on policy options, including assessing strengths and weaknesses of various regulatory approaches, tightening enforcement and facilitating a change in culture and practice, particularly in the boardroom.

UN Global Compact and OECD intensify collaboration

on 27-Oct-2009

The United Nations Global Compact and the OECD have recently begun to enhance their collaborative efforts, particularly in countries that have both Global Compact Local Networks and National Contact Points NCPs on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

OECD seminar on the payout phase of pensions, annuities and financial Markets

on 12-Nov-2008

Representatives from OECD governments, academia and private sector discussed proposals to support private pension systems, and in particular, improve the management of risks in the retirement stage of individual account (defined contribution, DC) pension systems. Participants also discussed the impact of the financial crisis, and longer term issues affecting the sector such as increasing life expectancy.

Extraordinary Session of the Working Party on Public Debt Management

on 02-Dec-2008

Members of the Working Party on Public Debt Management were invited to a special half-day meeting on the implications of the crisis for debt management strategies and operations. This meeting was held back-to-back with the 18th Annual OECD Global Forum on Public Debt Management and the 3rd OECD Forum on African Public Debt Management.

2008 meeting of the Latin American Roundtable on Corporate Governance

from 02-Dec-2008 to 03-Dec-2008

Organised in Mexico City, 2-3 December 2008, this meeting provided an important opportunity to take stock of recent corporate governance-related developments in Latin America, particularly in the wake of the current global financial turmoil. 

Responsible business conduct in the MENA region

on 26-Oct-2008

The first meeting of the Regional Task Force on Responsible Business Conduct took place in Cairo on 26 October. Participants discussed concrete initiatives for engaging in responsible business conduct and strengthening partnerships in the MENA region, focusing particularly on fighting corruption, education and employment standards, environment and health.