Member Views

Master's Award for Professional Excellence

BWC member Jonathan Everhart was recently selected for the Brown University School of Professional Studies Master's Award for Professional Excellence for his significant accomplishments in the fields of finance, the digital economy, and ESG.

Bretton Woods Committee congratulates Jonathan on his selection for this award!

May FOMC Meeting Could Be a Relatively Quiet Affair

"Jerome Powell may be able to approach the meeting without the usual degree of media maelstrom and market apprehension", writes BWC member Mark Sobel. "Enjoy it while it lasts," he says, though, especially as the looming debt ceiling date approaches.

Maybank Singapore

BWC welcomes our new organizational member Maybank Singapore. Singapore is one of Maybank's largest overseas operations. It's staffed by over 2,000 employees. They offer retail, private wealth, and small and medium-sized enterprise banking services; and their Singapore branch operates the Global Banking business to cater to the banking needs of corporate and institutional clients.

Their engagement with the Committee will be led by Chandran Dharmarajan, Head of Brand and Communications. We appreciate their support for our mission, and we look forward to their engagement!

MDBs Loans: a New Asset Class Collateralized Loan Obligations

Multilateral Development Bank balance sheet management with structured financings is still in its infancy but a number of path-breaking deals show the way. Two are by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and one by  International Finance Corporation (IFC) though there have also been some others. These  MDB transactions involve about $13 billion in public and private sector MDB loans. The two from the African Development Bank are both synthetic.

MDBs to the Rescue? The Evidence on COVID-19 Response

The world is now more than a year into the second global crisis of the century. Both the current pandemic and the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) more than 10 years ago tested the capacity of international financial institutions to respond with speed and scale.

Memo to Congress on why the United States should better Support International Financial Institutions

Background: US foreign affairs programs underpin US soft (nonmilitary) power, which is in decline as these programs have been underfunded. In FY2020, the United States spent $57 billion on international programs, activities, and institutions.

Michael Held

This Member Monday we welcome new member Michael Held, Partner at WilmerHale.

Michael Held has significant expertise in corporate governance, regulatory issues, and crisis management, notably during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 market turmoil. His practice now focuses on advising financial institutions, managing internal investigations, and promoting innovation in environmental, social, and corporate governance, as well as FinTech sectors.

We appreciate his commitment and support, and we look forward to his engagement with The Bretton Woods Committee. 

Michael McRaith

This week, we welcome our newest member, Michael McRaith, vice chair of insurance solutions at Brookfield. In this role, he participates in all aspects of Brookfield’s global insurance operations.
 

Michael Silva

This Member Monday we welcome Michael Silva, Member of the Board of Directors at Column N.A.

Michael is currently serving as a member of the Column N.A. Board of Directors, and has more than 30 years of experience as a bank regulator, chief compliance officer, law firm partner, and board member.

We appreciate his commitment and support, and we look forward to his engagement with The Bretton Woods Committee. 

Mike Zeleke

The Bretton Woods Committee is pleased to welcome new member, Mike Zeleke.

Mike, as the Director of singleCURRENCY, exemplifies an unwavering dedication to advancing justice. His extensive expertise in technology, private equity, law, ESG, and strategic philanthropy underscores his commitment to driving meaningful change with professionalism and precision.