Climate, Currency, and Central Banking: University of the Bahamas

We are delighted to announce our upcoming program in Nassau, Bahamas. Our program will begin with a Speakers Dinner on February 14, our full day public conference with the University of the Bahamas on February 15, followed by a Roundtable Breakfast on February 16 and optional add-on tourism activities over the weekend.

Throughout our itinerary, we will cover important themes such as enhancements and impediments to economic growth, the banking ecosystem of the Caribbean including the U.S. governance impact on the region, payment systems, and de-risking. We will examine currency issues surrounding the Bahamian Dollar, US Dollar and Central Bank Digital Currencies such as the Sand Dollar. Finally, our program will explore the impacts of climate change, hurricanes, and sea level rise through the lens of risk management. Christopher Waller, Ph.D., Governor of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors is confirmed as Keynote speaker.

Attendees of this conference can receive 5.5 continuing education credits from the Certified Financial Planner Board for credit hours. Please email Sandra Levant at slevant@interdependence.org for more details.

 

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Agenda 

Conference Agenda

8:00 a.m. | Registration and Coffee 

8:45 a.m. | Welcoming Remarks 

• Janyne Hodder, Acting President of the University of The Bahamas 
• William Kennedy, CIO, RiskBridge Advisors and GIC Board Chair 

9:00 a.m. | Opening Remarks 

• Honourable Vaughn Miller, M.P. Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources 
• Senator The Honourable Michael Halkitis, Minister of Economic Affairs 

9:20 a.m. | Morning Keynote – Sand Dollar  

• John Rolle, Governor of the Central Bank of The Bahamas
• Q&A Moderated by: Zhivargo Laing, Executive Director of the Government and Public Policy Institute and Senior Policy Fellow  at the University of The Bahamas 

10:00 a.m. | Coffee Break 

10:15 a.m. | Session 1: Global Economic Outlook 

• Therese Turner Jones, Director, Projects Department, Caribbean Development Bank 
• Leland Miller, CEO, China Beige Book  
• Moderator: Don Rissmiller, Partner, Strategas Research Partners and GIC Board Member 

11:00 a.m. | Session 2: The Banking Ecosystem of the Caribbean 

• Wendy Warren, former Executive Director of the Bahamas Financial Services Board  
• Zhivargo Laing, Executive Director of the Government and Public Policy Institute and Senior Policy Fellow at the University of  The Bahamas 
• Moderator: Don Rissmiller, Partner, Strategas Research Partners and GIC Board Member 

11:45 a.m. | Special Feature: The Fed and the Flu 

• David Kotok, Author, and CIO, Cumberland Advisors and GIC Board Member 

12:00 p.m. | Lunch 

1:15 p.m. | Afternoon Keynote – The International Role of the Dollar 

• Christopher Waller, Governor, Federal Reserve Board of Governors 
• Q&A Moderated by: William Kennedy, CIO, RiskBridge Advisors and GIC Board Chair 

2:00 p.m. | Break 

2:15 p.m. | Session 3: Currency issues: Bahamian Dollar, Digital Currencies, and the Future of the U.S. Dollar

• Gabriella Fraser, Chair of Bahamas National Statistical Institute 
• Danielle DiMartino Booth, Chief Strategist, QI Research 
• Tarron Khemraj, William & Marie Selby Chair – Economics, New College of Florida  
• Moderator: Zhivargo Laing, Executive Director of the Government and Public Policy Institute and Senior Policy Fellow at the  University of he Bahamas 

3:15 p.m. | Break 

3:30 p.m. | Session 4: Proactive Risk Management in the Era of Climate Change  

• His Excellency Anthony Ferguson, Ambassador to New Zealand 
• Carlos E. Palacious, M.Sc., P.Eng, P.E., PMP, Managing Principal, BRON 
• Moderator: William Kennedy, CIO, RiskBridge Advisors and GIC Board Chair 

4:15 p.m. | Closing Remarks 

Zhivargo Laing, Executive Director of the Government and Public Policy Institute and Senior Policy Fellow at the University of The  Bahamas