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Gergely Polner

Managing Director, Forefront Advisers

Gergely is leading Forefront's Climate practice and contributes to its European political and economic security work. He was previously Head of EU Affairs at Standard Chartered Bank and the British Bankers Association. Before his City career, he spent eight years at the EU institutions, including as a spokesperson for the EU Council Presidency and Head of UK Public Affairs for the European Parliament. While at the EU institutions, he worked, among others, on the EU’s regulatory reform in digital and financial services. He started his career as a lawyer and built a successful legal translation business.

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Roundtable

Roundtable Room 1 (Level 2)

Manoeuvring Macro-geopolitical Dynamics

Tue, 02 Jul | 03:45PM - 05:15PM

Peak political risk: Impact on innovation

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In keeping with Elevandi's commitment to developing innovation ecosystems, as considered at the Inclusive FinTech Forum and the recent report "Catalysing Disruptive Shifts for Innovation and Sustainability in Urban Environments".

More than 4 billion people can cast a vote in 2024. Two regional conflicts are jeopardising security and disrupting supply chains, with no resolution in sight. The East and the West are rising trade barriers. Against this background, how are multinationals to understand and adjust to the new normal, and where can technology help?

Operating under the theme of Manoeuvring Macro-geopolitical Dynamics, this roundtable will offer three constructs of the “new normal”:
1. The death of the Brussels Effect: Europe has a history of exporting policy thought internationally, with changes like GDPR or the Basel framework for banking. Amid geopolitical divides, will this trend carry on in the regulation of digital finance and critical technologies?
2. Crisis is the new BAU: Defence, trade, health, and ecological catastrophes are becoming so frequent that corporates need to adjust to expect crises as part of their business-as-usual. How is this changing the markets for credit or insurance? What is the role of technology in this change?
3. It’s the era of economic insecurity: The US raised trade barriers to the import and export of capital and goods, especially linked to critical technologies. China, the EU and the UK are following suit, albeit with deviations. What can we expect from the race on economic security and what does it mean for cross-border businesses?

Attendees who wish to familiarise themselves with the topic may refer to the reference materials below.
- Driving innovation for a more inclusive future