What is blocking business investment and productivity growth? OECD Business and Finance Outlook 2016 will focus on fragmentation at all levels of the global economy: heterogeneous policies, rules, laws and industry practices that create perverse incentives and block business efficiency.

This publication applies the lessons from the OECD’s analysis of disaster risk financing practices and the development of guidance to the specific case of floods. This report provides an overview of the approaches that economies facing various levels of flood risk and economic development have taken to managing the financial impacts of floods.

The global economy is caught between two major headwinds: the reversal of the investment-heavy commodity supercycle; and the "L-shaped" recovery in advanced economies caused by the aftermath of the financial crisis and the interaction of re‐regulation with low and negative interest rates. This report analyses these issues and presents a financial outlook.

One of the puzzles of the post-crisis period is low observed aggregate productivity growth. This report dissects the problem using the company and sector value-added data of more than 11,000 of the world’s largest listed non-financial and non-real-estate companies, taken from 20 different industry sectors.

This document outlines the objectives and key components of the framework, and presents the flexible, outcome-based, core competencies framework itself. The framework is designed to be applicable to adults aged 18 and over, describing the basic level of financial literacy that is likely to be needed by this group to fully and safely participate in economic and financial life.

The core competencies frameworks on financial literacy highlight a range of financial literacy outcomes that may be considered important for adults, youth, or owners and managers of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and of potential entrepreneurs.The core competencies frameworks on financial literacy for youth and adults were developed in response to a call from G20 Leaders in 2013.

12/10/2016 – Adults in many countries around the world display low levels of financial knowledge, fail to engage in financial behaviours that could improve their financial security and have financial attitudes oriented towards the short-term, as shown in the OECD/INFE International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy Competencies released today.

This report contains the results of an international data collection survey that measured the financial literacy and financial inclusion of adults. A total of 51,650 adults aged 18 to 79 from 30 countries and economies participated in the survey.

Auckland, New Zealand, 12-13 October 2016. Discussions focused on innovative policies and strategies around financial education and consumer protection.

Annamaria Lusardi is the Denit Trust Chair of Economics and Accountancy at the George Washington University School of Business. Following the release of new data focused on Americans’ financial capability, she draws attention to some of the findings in the study, focusing on three areas of great importance to the personal finances of Americans: student loans, indebtedness, and financial literacy.

Certain growth-promoting policies can have negative side-effects by increasing the vulnerability of economies to financial crises. Typical examples are greater openness to financial flows or more liberalised financial markets.

The OECD collects and analyses data on various insurance statistics such as the number of insurance companies and employees, insurance premiums and investments by insurance companies.

In 2014, the Financial Stability Board (FSB), in collaboration with the IMF and OECD, prepared a report for G20 leaders that sought to assess the cross-border consistencies and global financial stability implications of structural banking reform measures. To further examine structural banking reform measures taken since 2008, the OECD circulated a survey. This report describes the outcome of this survey.

Adopted by the OECD Council on 23 February 2017, this Recommendation provides high-level policy guidance for designing a strategy for addressing the financial impacts of disasters on individuals, businesses and sub-national levels of governments, as well as the implication for public finances.

Paris, 8 March 2017: Taking place on International Women's Day, this OECD-hosted conference considered questions such as gender differences in financial literacy and inclusion; women working in the informal economy and the role of business: gender differences in the changing pensions landscape; empowering women to fight back against corruption and engaging men to support gender equality in the workplace.

This paper describes and provides guidance on policy and practice relating to financial education for MSMEs and potential entrepreneurs in Asia, with a particular focus on Indonesia.

This paper looks at the application of behavioural economics in the area of financial consumer protection and how numerous governments are testing and implementing its application for policies promoting financial consumer protection. It highlights the opportunity for behavioural economics to help provide cost-efficient ways of making policy more effective at promoting positive outcomes for consumers.

This report discusses the implications of the digitalisation of finance for financial education and relevant consumer protection issues and provides an overview of digital financial services around the world.

This paper presents the findings of an international stocktaking of the regulatory frameworks that apply to institutional investment in different jurisdictions and how these frameworks are interpreted by institutional investors in terms of their ability or responsibility to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in their governance processes.

13/05/2017 - With the frequency and scope of cyber incidents growing significantly, this report provides an overview of the market for cyber insurance as well as the current challenges in terms of data availability, quantification of cyber risks, awareness and misunderstanding about coverage. It identifies potential policy measures to address some of the main challenges to the development of an effective cyber insurance market.

24 May 2017: PISA 2015 Results (Volume IV): Students’ Financial Literacy explores students’ experience with and knowledge about money and provides an overall picture of 15-year-olds’ ability to apply their accumulated knowledge and skills to real-life situations involving financial issues and decisions.

The OECD Business and Finance Scoreboard accompanies the OECD Business and Finance Outlook by providing a commented overview of selected indicators and data related to corporate performance, banking, capital markets, pensions and investments.

Globalisation has failed to create a level playing field in trade, investment and corporate behaviour, being one of the factors contributing to a backlash against openness in many countries and a decline in confidence in government institutions.

This report describes the levels of financial literacy of adults in G20 countries and the Netherlands and Norway, guest countries under the G20 German Presidency. It was presented to G20 Leaders at their 2017 Summit meeting in Hamburg on 8 July 2017.

‌07/09/2017 - Flooding is one of the most common, wide-reaching and destructive natural perils, affecting on average about 250 million people around the world each year. OECD work on the financial management of flood risk has identified a number of ways that policy makers can improve the way they manage the financial implications of floods.

“Insurtech”is the term being used to describe the new technologies with the potential to bring innovation to the insurance sector and impact the regulatory practices of insurance markets. This report catalogues these technologies and examines how InsurTech is being funded and how insurers are engaging with the start-ups entering the market.

While the contribution of MSMEs to national economies is widely recognised, their financial education needs are not always being met and low levels of financial literacy pose a potential barrier to successful business creation and growth. Covering 21 economies, this stocktaking report identifies the main policy challenges and good practices.

Hanoi, Vietnam, 3-4 October 2017. This conference provided a forum to discuss best practices on developing financial education and consumer protection in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.

This chapter from "The Pursuit of Gender Equality: An Uphill Battle" shows that two-thirds of the 30 economies participating in a financial literacy survey reported that gender differences in financial knowledge and confidence persist.

This review of Lithuania by the OECD Committee on Financial Markets examines Lithuania’s position with respect to core principles related to financial systems.

New Delhi, India, 8-9 November 2017. This symposium looked at how to implement effective financial education policies in a changing financial landscape with a focus on financial education in the digital age.

16 November 2017 - The OECD Guidelines on Insurer Governance provide guidance and serve as a reference point for insurers, governmental authorities, and other relevant stakeholders in OECD and non-OECD countries. The Guidelines have been revised and expanded to reflect evolving market practices and updates to international guidance following the financial crisis.

This report provides a series of policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the contribution of the cyber insurance market to managing this increasingly prevalent risk. The report examines the current state of the market and the obstacles that are impeding the market from reaching its full potential

25-26 January 2018 - The first annual meeting of the G20 Global Infrastructure Connectivity Alliance will bring together policy makers and practitioners to discuss the state of play in global connectivity, innovative practices and the outlook for connectivity.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly turning to alternative sources of financing, while new bank lending is declining in a number of countries. Many SMEs remain over-reliant on bank credit, however, and the take-up of instruments other than straight debt varies greatly from one country to another, according to a new OECD report.

With the growth of cybercrime, and intensive media coverage of privacy breaches and ransomware attacks over the last year, could complacency about cyber risks soon be a thing of the past? Bill Below and Leigh Wolfrom of the OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs look at some of the challenges to insuring cyber risk.

22-23 February 2018, Paris - The potential role of the nascent cyber insurance market in enhancing cyber resilience is increasingly being recognised by policy makers. This conference provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and share experiences on addressing the challenges impeding the development of the cyber insurance market.

The roundtable offers a forum for regulators, policy makers, experts, practitioners, scholars and international organisations in Asia. This year’s edition will focus on recent developments in capital markets and on capital markets of the future.

Focusing on Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, Maria José Roa, a Senior Researcher at the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies, looks at how financial literacy survey results can play a role in the development of financial inclusion strategies

Leading actors across the green finance and investment community talk to the OECD about what has to be done to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the broader set of environmental objectives linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This publication compiles a series of articles that focus on the impact of digitalisation and technology in the areas of financial markets, insurance, and private pensions. It also discusses the tools and policies needed to ensure that the challenges posed by digitalisation result in better outcomes and better management of the risks involved.

25-26 April 2018, Tokyo - This event will bring together key stakeholders from the Asia Pacific region to discuss policy issues relevant to the sound development of insurance and private pensions markets.

Although financial inclusion levels have improved in all Southeast Asian countries in recent years, levels remain relatively low in some countries. This report evaluates current levels of financial inclusion and financial literacy in Southeast Asia and describes the policies and programmes developed to support financial inclusion, education and consumer protection.

Paris, 15-16 May 2018 - This workshop will focus on recent developments and main policy challenges related to the emergence of digital financial assets. Discussions will cover monetary policy and financial systems, regulation, firms’ business and funding models, and taxation.

18 May 2018, Paris, France: The 2018 symposium focused on the relationship between financial education policies and broad economic, financial and social outcomes, including its role in supporting sustainable and inclusive growth.

Paris, 25 May 2018 - Following a keynote speech from Emmanuelle Auriol, Professor at Toulouse School of Economics and Chair of Women in Economics of the European Economic Association, discussions at this event will explore some of the issues emerging from the gender biases evident in the field of economics.

Behavioural insights have the potential to enhance the effectiveness of financial literacy and investor education initiatives. This IOSCO/OECD report explores the extent to which they are being used, reviews the available literature and presents various approaches for policy makers and practitioners to consider when seeking to change financial behaviour.

This publication applies the lessons from the OECD’s analysis of disaster risk financing practices and the development of guidance to the specific case of earthquakes. This report provides an overview of the approaches that economies facing various levels of earthquake risk and economic development have taken to managing the financial impacts of earthquakes.

18 June 2018 - Preliminary data for 2017 show an increase in life and/or non-life gross premiums of domestic insurance companies in 40 out of the 43 reporting countries, compared to 2016.

29 June 2018 - This keynote address focuses on the three main forces driving change in the financial sector: the growing importance of trust; the accelerating digitalisation of the economy; and the unprecedented interconnectedness of global markets. This keynote address was made by Greg Medcraft, OECD Director of Financial and Enterprise Affairs, at the Annual Conference of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance.