Helicopter money: finance departments had to quickly channel money to workers and businesses – while minimising the amount wasted or stolen. Illustration by Katy Smith
Around the world, finance departments have found different ways of protecting workers and businesses during the COVID crisis. At GGF’s Finance Summit, senior leaders discussed which worked best – reaching those in need, while minimising waste and fraud. Adam Branson reports
Responding to the pandemic, finance departments have poured billions into protecting jobs, replacing people’s livelihoods and supporting hard-hit businesses: whole economies have been put into induced comas. But even while officials work to avert immediate threats, it’s important that they occasionally lift their eyes to the horizon. And at GGF’s Finance Summit – a rare opportunity for top finance leaders to compare notes and reflect on the pandemic – Latvian official Līga Kļaviņa asked if her colleagues around the world could g
America leads in information Technology, But US Big Tech Has yet to heal itself
News Highlights: America leads in information Technology, But US Big Tech Has yet to heal itself
January 18, 2021 – “Congress needs to better organize itself around technology,” said Rep. Bill Foster, D-Illinois, a member of Financial Services and Science, Space, ed Technology Commissions.
Foster, along with a panel of tech innovators and policymakers, explained the steps the United States should take to remain a world leader in technology and innovation, during a webinar from The Hill that aired Thursday.
“The current Congress representing America” is outdated, Foster said, calling for new life in the US office of Technology. He also proposed a new information committee Technology to be realized.
Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury has reiterated the need for a negotiated settlement to the long-running transatlantic subsidies dispute, as the US government – in the final days of the Trump administration – prepares to put further sanctions in place.
Public-private climate urgency
Jan 02,2021 - Last updated at Jan 02,2021
NEW YORK Less than 12 months ago, private-sector leaders came together at the World Economic Forum with a sense of optimism and a series of new commitments to reenergise the fight against climate change. Ambitious goals were set, and bold plans were announced. And then COVID-19 struck.
Owing to its ferocity and widespread impact, the pandemic has disrupted lives and businesses in ways unseen in our lifetimes as the world was forced to take drastic action, economic lockdowns, travel restrictions, school closures and much else, in pursuit of self-preservation. Amid so much human suffering, there is a perverse irony in the fact that global greenhouse-gas emissions this year declined by a record-breaking amount. At least now we have all witnessed the potential impact of collective action.