Featured analysis

Everybody wants a stablecoin, even China

Econographics Aug 22, 2025

Trump’s challenges to the Fed’s independence loom over Jackson Hole Symposium

By Alisha Chhangani

As Trump tests the limits of what he can do, the credibility of the Fed—and by extension, global financial stability—is increasingly at risk.
Economy & Business International Markets
Everybody wants a stablecoin, even China

Econographics Jul 17, 2025

Charting a strategic path for Syria’s postwar reconstruction

By Kimberly Donovan, Jonathan Panikoff, Lize de Kruijf, Manal Fatima

As Syria emerges from over a decade of conflict, easing sanctions by the United States, the European Union (EU), and other European partners is an important step toward reintegrating Syria into the global economy. Yet, for a country that has been economically isolated for over fourteen years, lifting sanctions is only the beginning.
Economic Sanctions Economy & Business
Everybody wants a stablecoin, even China

Fintech Frontlines Jul 8, 2025

Stablecoins are trending, but what frictions and risks are getting overlooked?

By Ashley Lannquist

Stablecoin usage is complex for consumers, and large-scale adoption could introduce new challenges for financial stability and regulatory oversight.
Digital Currencies Economy & Business

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

Econographics deep dives

Special sections that go inside the Chinese economy, the evolution of sanctions, and the future of money.

 

Sinographs

In-depth analysis of economic and financial trends in the Chinese economy.

Fintech frontlines

Research and analysis on the intersection of technology and policy developments in finance.

Global sanctions dashboard

Monthly analysis of global sanctions regimes—highlighting new listings, delistings, and the motivations behind these changes.

Latest analysis

Factory under construction

Econographics

Apr 29, 2024

The IMF warms to industrial policy—but with caveats

By Walter Frick

Industrial policy is making a comeback around the world. There’s no better sign of this than the new attention paid to subsidies by bastions of the Washington consensus like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has historically been very skeptical of them.

Fiscal and Structural Reform International Financial Institutions

Econographics

Apr 25, 2024

The basics of CBDC

By Alisha Chhangani and Leila Hamilton

The race for the future of money is on, so here are the key items to catch you up on what a central bank digital currency is—and what it isn’t.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business
Brazil G20 bilboard

Econographics

Apr 12, 2024

Brazil’s approach to the G20: Leading by example

By Hung Tran

Brazil’s non-aligned, cooperative, and practical approach holds out the promise of a constructive outcome for this year’s G20 meetings—especially if progress is measured by concrete global initiatives.

Brazil G20

Sinographs

Apr 9, 2024

Breaking down Janet Yellen’s comments on Chinese overcapacity

By Hung Tran

It is reasonable to criticize and complain to China, but policymakers should remember that an end to overcapacity would mean a major shift in China’s economic model—which is exceedingly unlikely.

China Economy & Business
Bulk carrier ship in river port. Dry cargo grain elevator trade. Agrarian maritime facility. Cargo ship in the sea. Sunset view. factory on the water.

Econographics

Apr 5, 2024

Ukraine’s grain exports are crucial to Africa’s food security

By Yulia Bychkovska

Moscow is trying to increase Africa’s dependence on its imports by blocking the exports of Ukrainian grain. By helping Ukraine sell its grain, the West can offer the African continent an alternative to Russia’s grain and decrease Russia’s profits.

Africa Economic Sanctions

Econographics

Mar 28, 2024

Understanding the debate over IMF quota reform

By Hung Tran

The politics and mathematics of reform are tougher than they appear. A simple reform matching quotas to global economic weight will not be welcomed by many countries.

Africa China

Econographics

Mar 26, 2024

Housing costs are slowing down the US climate transition

By Joseph Webster

The US housing shortage has profound economic consequences. Less discussed is the fact that it is slowing down the US climate transition.

Energy Transitions Financial Regulation
World Bank-IMF Meeting in Marrakesh

Econographics

Mar 25, 2024

Making Africa a top priority for Bretton Woods Institutions

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

With deeper engagement of Bretton Woods institutions, African economies can seize the moment and become the engine of global growth.

Africa Fiscal and Structural Reform
Blue Globe viewing from space at night with connections between cities

Econographics

Mar 20, 2024

Global Sanctions Dashboard: How Hamas raises, uses, and moves money

By Kimberly Donovan, Maia Nikoladze, Ryan Murphy, and Alessandra Magazzino

How Hamas raises, uses, and moves money; How sanctions are used to counter Hamas and combat the financing of terrorism; Where governments align and diverge in their approaches to combat this activity.

Economic Sanctions European Union

Econographics

Mar 14, 2024

CBDCs will need to work across borders. Here are the models exploring how to do it

By Ananya Kumar, Alisha Chhangani

These innovative models reflect a clear realization in the both the public and private sector— as CBDCs become a part of the financial landscape, there needs to be a mechanism to interchange them across borders.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business
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Content

Fintech Frontlines

Aug 25, 2025

Everybody wants a stablecoin, even China

By Ananya Kumar

From Beijing’s perspective, a successful offshore yuan-denominated stablecoin could replace some existing yuan transactions, increase the purchases of offshore bonds, and even make them technologically more efficient.

China Digital Currencies

Econographics

Aug 22, 2025

Trump’s challenges to the Fed’s independence loom over Jackson Hole Symposium

By Alisha Chhangani

As Trump tests the limits of what he can do, the credibility of the Fed—and by extension, global financial stability—is increasingly at risk.

Economy & Business International Markets

Sinographs

Jul 31, 2025

Beijing extends and pretends to deal with its mountain of local government debt

By Jeremy Mark

Beijing's three-year local debt restructuring plan fails to actually address the trillions of dollars weighing on local governments and will only cause greater problems down the road.

China Economy & Business

Econographics

Jul 29, 2025

Safeguarding Uyghur human rights: The US should leverage economic statecraft tools to end Uyghur forced labor

By Nazima Tursun

Through sanctions and the adoption of anti-forced labor legislation, the United States has led the global effort to combat China’s forced labor practices. While these measures have moved the needle in the fight against forced labor, widespread tariffs and the absence of new punitive measures targeting forced labor may cause progress to stagnate.

China Economic Sanctions

Econographics

Jul 21, 2025

Why European businesses are now stuck in the middle of an EU-China storm

By Alisha Chhangani

If relations continue to deteriorate, the world’s three major economies could find themselves in economic conflict and European businesses will be caught squarely in the middle. 

China Economy & Business

Econographics

Jul 17, 2025

Charting a strategic path for Syria’s postwar reconstruction

By Kimberly Donovan, Jonathan Panikoff, Lize de Kruijf, Manal Fatima

As Syria emerges from over a decade of conflict, easing sanctions by the United States, the European Union (EU), and other European partners is an important step toward reintegrating Syria into the global economy. Yet, for a country that has been economically isolated for over fourteen years, lifting sanctions is only the beginning.

Economic Sanctions Economy & Business

Econographics

Jul 14, 2025

Injecting new life into Europe’s life science industry to improve competitiveness

By Emma Nix

US turmoil under Trump has shaken the life sciences sector, prompting top researchers to consider leaving. Europe now has a rare chance to attract this talent and revive its biotech and pharma industries—but only if it moves quickly and decisively before China does.

China Economy & Business

Econographics

Jul 10, 2025

The stablecoin race

By Hung Tran, Barbara C. Matthews

Each country’s agenda is motivated by questions about the sustainability of the dollar’s dominant global role.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business
Stablecoins

Fintech Frontlines

Jul 8, 2025

Stablecoins are trending, but what frictions and risks are getting overlooked?

By Ashley Lannquist

Stablecoin usage is complex for consumers, and large-scale adoption could introduce new challenges for financial stability and regulatory oversight.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business

Econographics

Jul 7, 2025

Building BRICS

By Bart Piasecki

Fifteen years after its founding, BRICS has evolved into a formidable counterweight to Western dominance in global economic governance. Yet despite its growing influence, the bloc’s ability to translate bold rhetoric into concrete results remains uncertain.

Brazil China
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