Transferring currency across international borders is often met with various hurdles, especially for those in emerging markets. In this article, investing columnist Aditi Somayajula explains some of these challenges, as well as how fintech companies are attempting to streamline different aspects of cross-border payments. Continue Reading
In August 2021, the IMF released $650 billion worth of SDRs to all nations to mitigate the impact of COVID on government balance-sheets. Yet a lack of oversight means free currency was spent indiscriminately.Continue Reading
The pandemic has disproportionately affected LIDCs across the globe; with LIDCs lacking access to financial capital, they face domestic economic decline and forecast increased levels of poverty. As LIDCs struggle with limited financial capital, can financial markets play a role in helping LIDCs during the pandemic?Continue Reading
What happens when entire countries can no longer pay their debts in the 21st century? Is the international economy strong enough to handle dozens of insolvent countries—especially in the middle of a global pandemic? This article explores how countries became indebted before and during COVID-19 and whether the current strategy of sovereign debt reduction is an effective way to stabilize countries in the midst of a public health crisis.Continue Reading
The cacao bean, once thought a divine food by the Aztecs that imparted wisdom, is now considered by its farmers the curse of “brown gold.” The curse itself is easy to understand: manufacturers like Hershey’s and Nestlé must sell cheap chocolate to make a profit, and where else to cut costs but at the very bottom of this food chain? There, we find the cacao farmers of the Ivory Coast. These impoverished Ivorian farmers supply 40% of the world’s total supply of cacao beans alone. Despite playing such a dominant role in the global chocolate industry, the Ivory Coast benefits little from its position and does not have the leverage required to raise the prices of cacao exports to support its workers.Continue Reading