The Promises And Risks Of Digital Finance

How can we reap the benefits of financial innovation while ensuring a sound, trustworthy financial system? Steven Davis asks IMF head Kristalina Georgieva at Jackson Hole.

Their conversation touches on tokenization, stablecoins, cross-border payments, and regulatory frameworks. Georgieva describes strong institutions as the fertile ground for dynamic and stable financial innovation as well as the foundations of sound monetary and fiscal policy, lessons from emerging economies, and the growing fiscal challenges facing advanced economies. Georgieva argues that policymakers should address debt and deficits during good economic times rather than waiting for a crisis to force action.

Recorded on August 28, 2026.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Kristalina Georgieva has served as managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since October 2019. She led the IMF’s response to multiple global shocks, including the pandemic and several wars and conflicts. Before joining the IMF, Ms. Georgieva served as CEO of the World Bank from January 2017 to September 2019, where she also held the role of interim president. Previously, she helped shape the agenda of the European Union, first as Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, and later as vice president for Budget and Human Resources. She began her career in public service at the World Bank in 1993, rising through several positions to vice president and corporate secretary in 2008. In this role, she served as the interlocutor between the World Bank Group’s senior management, its board of directors, and its shareholder countries.

SOURCES

• “Navigating a Financially More Fluid World,” Kristalina Georgieva’s prepared remarks for the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, August 2026.