Modern Money SmartPod

Some regulators in the world of finance take office during periods of relative market calm. Other regulators ... not so much. When Commissioner Summer Mersinger was sworn in at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in March of 2022, global markets were still dealing with the shock from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Throughout the summer, commodities markets felt the impact from geopolitica...

With the fallout from the meltdown of Sam Bankman-Fried and his FTX empire still unfolding in the markets, exchange leaders and other executives from the cleared derivatives industry gathered in Chicago for the annual FIA Futures & Options Expo . FIA President and CEO Walt Lukken joined the show to talk about what the collapse of FTX might mean for the future of regulation in the digital asset...

In 2021, there was roughly $785 billion deployed at the global level for energy transition technologies. And despite questions being asked about ESG strategies, there are still tons of financial firms that are looking to invest in green bonds and other areas of sustainable finance. Luiza Demôro, the Head of Energy Transitions at BloombergNEF, joins the show to discuss a pair of reports that the te...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year or so, you’ve probably heard about all the money that’s either already been deployed or is on its way toward funding the energy transition.  When there are billions and billions in play, it’s not surprising that groups are coming together to lure capital to not only certain technologies, but also certain geographic regions.  Jane Stricker is...

Tim McCourt, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Equity and FX Products at CME Group, joins the show to talk about the launch of Event-based contracts. During the initial meme-stock frenzy, there were plenty of nightmare stories about retail investors getting in over their head with derivatives. Designed especially for retail traders, these new Event-based contracts are an easy-to-understa...

Lauren Collins , a partner at Vinson & Elkins , joins the show to explain how the tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act stand to not only boost the deployment of renewable energy in the U.S., but also create new tax credit markets that might attract investment funds and retail investors. Collins also highlights one key area of the energy puzzle that the IRA has unfortunately overlooked...

Richard Hunt has been the leading voice for consumer banking in the U.S. for 13 years, and his advocacy for the financial services industry began long before that. This week, he will step down from his role as president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association , but he is NOT retiring. Richard talks with us about why term limits for politicians -- and trade association heads -- are a good thing...

The venture capital sector had two bumper years in a row in 2020 and 2021, with record levels of fundraising, investment and exits. However, like the rest of the investing world, the market has cooled in the 2022 economy. Bobby Franklin, president and CEO of the National Venture Capital Association, talks with us about how the current economic climate is affecting the VC-startup ecosystem, and how...

While the comment period for the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed rule on climate-related disclosure has been extended into June, the proposal offers a solid hint as to how the final rulemaking might take shape. Jamie Gamble , Managing Director at PwC, and Maggie Peloso , Partner at Vinson & Elkins, join the show to dig into the details of the proposed rule and offer tips on...

The term "energy transition" means different things to different people. In this episode, we focus on how "energy transition" means different things to people from different places. Michael Syn , senior managing director and head of equities at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) , joins the show to talk about how markets in Asia are tackling decarbonization and the push to net-zero....

As corporations and countries plot their net-zero plans, carbon markets have become one of the most-talked-about components in the realm of sustainable finance. To hear more about this burgeoning corner of the markets, IncubEx Founder, President and COO Dan Scarbrough joins the show to share his insights. Dan outlines the growth carbon markets have enjoyed thus far, explains growing pains that hav...

As week close out the week at the International Futures Industry Conference in Boca Raton, Florida, we’re joined by a very special guest. He’s easily the best person to give us a comprehensive perspective on all the events of this week. He’s Walt Lukken, the President and CEO of the Futures Industry Association. Eventus Systems Shine a Light on Your Trading Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate...

We are back with  a quick recap from the second day of the International Futures Industry Conference .  Yesterday, we predicted FIA Boca was shaping up to be a "bifurcated" conference; with one track focused on tech topics like crypto and cloud computing and another track focused on geopolitics and the war in Ukraine. Spoiler alert: We were right! 

This quick recap is the first of three Colin and Sean are doing from their road trip to the International Futures Industry Conference . A month ago, it looked like the hot topics at FIA Boca would be crypto, the cloud and all things technology. But as is often the case, big news has barged its way into the conversations at Boca and now the  event is poised to be bifurcated ( one of Sean's fav...

After graduating from the United States Naval Academy and serving in the US Marine Corps, Chris Perkins started his finance career at Lehman Brothers and eventually became a managing director at Citi, where he was Global Co-Head, Futures, Clearing and FX Prime Brokerage. Then, in the second half of last year, Chris left Citi to become President and Managing Partner at CoinFund . In this wide-rangi...

You've probably heard all about the money being poured into the energy transition. We're talking trillions of dollars over the course of many decades. Everyone from sovereign wealth funds and private equity to venture capital and institutional investors seems to be getting in on the action. Joining the show are Albert Cheung , from BloombergNEF (BNEF) and Danielle Patterson from the law...

From the rise of ESG and meme stocks to the fall of China’s property sector, 2021 was a wild ride for the financial services industry. In the latest episode of Modern Money SmartPod, Sean McMahon and Colin Hogan look back on what we’re calling the SmartBrief 7: the seven most-memorable financial news stories of the year, as we see it. Sign up for Modern Money SmartBrief The 10 Most-Clicked Stories...

From COP26 to the boom in ESG investment funds, sustainable finance has been a hot topic in 2021. Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. , president and CEO of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ( SIFMA ) and CEO of the Global Financial Markets Association ( GFMA ), joins the show to discuss the crucial role capital markets will continue to play in efforts to decarbonize the global economy...

Social media, corporate websites, word-of-mouth ... It's the Wild West out there for consumers in search of ESG investment data. Craig Martin , Managing Director and Global Head of Wealth & Lending Intelligence at J.D. Power, shares the key takeaways from a survey his team conducted about where consumers seek ESG data and how they prioritize various ESG topics. Which aspects of environmen...

There's no better way to gain an understanding of the types of conversations that took place at COP26 than to talk to someone who was there. Gordon Bennett , Managing Director of Utility Markets for ICE, was in Glasgow and he joins the show to talk about the role financial markets can play in achieving some of the goals that were laid out at the conference. And unlike so many of the concepts...

This episode is presented by: ICE With so much finance-related news coming from COP26, Maggie Peloso , a partner at Vinson & Elkins , joins the show to help us make sense of how the talks in Glasgow will shape the future of ESG investing and disclosure. Topics like the progress made on the launch of the International Sustainability Standards Board and the $130 trillion pledge from the Glasgow...

This episode is presented by ICE .  Finance is gonna play a key role in how the world tackles climate change -- so much so that an entire day at the United Nations COP26 will focus on nothing but Finance. We thought our first show should feature someone who knows the ins and outs of Finance and the ins and outs of the UN’s climate and sustainability agenda. Simon Puleston Jones has spent years wor...

From the team that produces Modern Money SmartBrief -- and more than 40 other newsletters for some of the most influential organizations in Finance -- it's the Modern Money SmartPod. The term "Modern Money" means different things to different people, so co-hosts Colin Hogan and Sean McMahon will be bringing you news and interviews from every corner of the financial services world. F...