The Future of Digital Finance

Sep. 24 and Sep. 25 – 7:00 a.m. EDT (UTC–04:00):

Opportunities in digital finance are emerging in India and China and on the African continent.

Recent years have witnessed the rapid evolution of digital payment systems worldwide. In particular, the African continent, India and China have emerged as vibrant testing grounds for innovation — each charting unique paths to expand financial access, enhance transaction efficiency and explore new technologies, such as central bank digital currencies and blockchain. At the same time, geopolitical considerations and alternative payment infrastructures are reshaping the contours of international finance, challenging the dominance of traditional systems and the role of the US dollar.

Against this backdrop, CIGI is hosting a virtual conference September 24–25, 2025, to delve into the future of digital payments across these three regions, examining regulatory collaboration, global governance, financial inclusion and technical advancements in cross-border payments. The event will convene policy makers, industry experts, academics and civil society stakeholders to exchange insights, identify synergies and propose actionable policy solutions.

Registration is now open.

Calling researchers! We invite you to submit a policy brief abstract on a related policy area by July 18. Selected policy briefs will be hosted on the CIGI website and influence discussions at the conference, and recommendations from the briefs will form part of the conference report.

Learn more about the submission and selection process and key dates.

“A fork in the road for the G7 lies ahead, but all the leaders may not yet fully see it. One path leads to an affirmation of function and expansion of membership, and to the potential for greater global leadership. Another way forward maintains a small and mighty table but leads to the relative erosion of impact. A third fork, a reformulated G6 without the United States, is simply a non-starter.”

On the eve of the 2025 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, CIGI President and Think7 convenor Paul Samson described how the G7 might approach its renewal, and how “Canada could help lead in these new directions.”

In this paper, S. Yash Kalash examines the accelerating global momentum behind central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), exploring how central banks are responding to the twin pressures of financial digitalization and geopolitical competition. He provides a comprehensive analysis of the motivations driving CBDC development, from enhancing payment system efficiency and financial inclusion to preserving monetary sovereignty in the face of private digital currencies.

The findings underscore that while the path to global CBDC adoption is complex and fragmented, the direction is clear: digital sovereign money is likely to play a central role in shaping the next era of international finance.

Lessons for Canadian national security and defence are coming fast and furious, writes Wesley Wark. Lesson one, Wark says, was “the audacious Ukrainian drone attack on June 1 against several strategic bomber bases scattered throughout Russia.” Another, the next day, came with the United Kingdom’s release of its new Strategic Defence Review (SDR), “designed to radically reshape British military power in the face of a dangerous world.”

One week later, on June 9, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his government’s rapid acceleration of defence spending as the country faced a “‘hinge moment’ in the unravelling of the international order.” In this commentary, Wark writes that “there is thoughtful guidance to be gleaned from the UK SDR and from the experiences of the Ukraine war” as Canada embarks on the reorientation of its defence posture.