The webinar delves into the current macroeconomic setting (past, present and future), central bank policies, the increase in inflation and the (possible) role of Bitcoin in such an environment.
Ever since the start of the pandemic, the Fed and ECB have kept interest rates near zero in an attempt to further increase market liquidity and economic relief to participants. Due to concerns about rising inflation, this (accommodative) monetary policy now appears to be ending. This raises the question of how wise and sustainable that is, given the stage of the long-term debt cycle we are currently facing?

What are the consequences of this monetary tightening for foreign exchange markets, (government) bond markets and the stock markets around the world? What are the similarities and differences between this and earlier economic cycles? What role can Bitcoin possibly play in all this? And what basic knowledge or understanding should a risk manager have to deal with those issues?

Tristan Verhagen will address these questions from the perspective of a Bitcoiner.

Wilko Bolt will stress the supervisory and regulatory aspects of cryptocurrencies and, in a broader view, discuss the balance between private and public interests in money and payments.

Tristan Verhagen (Lecturer)
Tristan Verhagen graduated in Strategic Management from Tilburg University. Real estate is the cornerstone of his career. He has worked for various real estate investors and is now Director Finance & Control at Eigen Haard. A few years ago, he fell through the Bitcoin rabbit hole and since then his views on money and monetary policy have changed significantly. He is open to the idea that Bitcoin’s unique properties will in the future lead to it becoming an important (macro) asset and therefore suitable for a large group of investors (e.g. insurance companies and pension funds).

Wilko Bolt (Discussant)
Wilko Bolt is a Senior Economist in the Economics and Research department at De Nederlandsche Bank in Amsterdam and Professor of Payment Systems at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His current research focuses on payment economics,  cryptocurrencies, two-sided markets theory and antitrust implications. He has published in journals such as American Economic Review, European Economic Review, International Journal of Industrial Organization and Journal of Money, Credit and Banking. Bolt was awarded the Hennipman Prize by the Dutch Royal Economic Association in 2007 for his research.

Ronald Bosman (Moderator)
Dr. Ronald Bosman studied Economics at the University of Amsterdam and obtained his doctorate on the question of how emotional factors influence financial decision-making. He works as an independent consultant and lecturer in the field of (behavioural) risk management. He is also affiliated with the School of Business and Economics of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.