Features

France and UK move forward on central bank digital currencies

The central banks of France and the UK have moved towards the creation of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), with the Banque de France issuing a call for applications to […]

UK lockdown squeezes out cash, but slows progress on payments reforms

The economic regulator for the UK’s £75 trillion (US$93.3 trillion) payment systems industry has announced a “revised timetable” for its work priorities as the coronavirus pandemic spreads. The Payment Systems […]

Economic ventilators: how to build a stimulus package

The governments of locked-down nations agree on the need for vast cash injections to keep their halted economies ticking over – but European states are taking a very different approach […]

Lessons from the frontline: how to stop the spread of COVID-19

Countries have adopted very different approaches to combating coronavirus – and had wildly different results. Mia Hunt explains how some Far Eastern countries have successfully prevented its spread, and identifies […]

Beyond corona: the pros and cons of rent controls

As corona hits people’s incomes, tenants in high-rent areas are among the first to suffer – and, in some countries, the last to receive support. But the virus has only […]

COVID-19: how European governments are trying to make life easier under lockdown

On 13 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Europe the “epicentre” of the coronavirus pandemic. WHO’s president, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on European countries to use aggressive measures […]

Governments quarantine banknotes as coronavirus puts ‘dirty’ money in spotlight

Governments worldwide are quarantining bank notes, as the coronavirus pandemic puts the spotlight on the germ-spreading properties of ‘real’ money. The US, South Korea and China have all been taking […]

Digital units: from the hard push to the helping hand

On their launch, many central digital functions used strong-arm tactics to push departments into line. But at the Government Digital Summit, digital leaders from around the world signalled a change […]

Tackling the robot bigots: how to implement Artificial Intelligence intelligently

The tech industry is excited about Artificial intelligence. But in government, ‘learning’ algorithms can create big problems – producing discriminatory decisions, and threatening transparency and accountability. At the Government Digital […]

Rebuilding government for the digital age

Governments are working hard to drive change in their digital journeys, but are they missing the bigger picture? At the Global Government Leaders’ Forum, panellists discussed whether the fundamental structures […]