The Bali Fintech Agenda highlights 12 principles for policymakers to consider when formulating their approaches to new financial technology (fintech). The agenda aims to harness the potential of fintech while managing associated risks. This paper looks at how some elements of the Bali Fintech Agenda could be used in Pacific island countries, which face significant financial-structural challenges.

FINTECH and CRYPTOCURRENCY Dive into the world of fintech and cryptocurrency through the engaging perspectives of this diverse group of authors and uncover the intricate connections between technology, finance, and cryptocurrency that make this a must-have for anyone intrigued by the future of digital society. Digital currencies, decentralization of money, and the growth of new technologies like blockchain, the Internet of Things, and machine learning have produced new opportunities and difficulties for banking and finance, as well as users of these services in electronic commerce. New banking and finance technologies may improve operational efficiency, risk management, compliance, and client pleasure, but they can decrease barriers and introduce new concerns, such as cybersecurity risk. Cryptocurrencies with smart contracts for payments and trading, as well as AI systems with adaptive algorithms that allow picture and speech recognition, expert judgement, group categorization, and forecasting in a variety of fields, are instances of increased automation. Simultaneously, the potentials pose risks and raise regulatory concerns. The rise of blockchain technology and its widespread use have had a significant impact on the operation and management of digital systems. At the same time, researchers and practitioners have paid close attention to digital finance. Blockchain’s first applications were limited to the production of digital currency, but it has now been expanded to include financial and commercial applications. Innovative digital finance has had a huge impact on business and society since it has been extensively adopted by businesses and consumers. As a result, the goal of this edited book is to expand and deepen our knowledge of the business possibilities of novel blockchain and digital financial applications.

Digital financial services have been a key driver of financial inclusion in recent years. While there is evidence that financial inclusion through traditional services has a positive impact on economic growth, do the same results carry over for digital financial inclusion? What drives digital financial inclusion? Why does it advance more in some countries but not in others? Using new indices of financial inclusion developed in Khera et. al. (2021), this paper addresses these questions for 52 developing countries. Using cross-sectional instrument variable procedure, we find that the exogenous component of digital financial inclusion is positively associated with growth in GDP per capita during 2011-2018, which suggests that digital financial inclusion can accelerate economic growth. Fractional logit and random effects empirical estimation identifies access to infrastructure, financial and digital literacy, and quality of institutions as key drivers of digital financial inclusion. These findings are then used to help inform policy recommendations in areas related to the digitization of financial services to promote financial inclusion.

Inclusive Financial Development provides theoretical and empirical analyses of the nature of financial inclusion. The contributing authors explore the impediments to inclusion that exist around the world, the macro and stability implications, and the regulation dimension.

This book develops insights of digitalization and the future of financial services to originate an innovative approach to financial field, in order to underpin research and practice in the wide area of digital finance. The aim of this book is to extend our understandings on how digitalization and the future of financial services can be helpful in different business circumstances in many cross-functional financial areas, such as financial markets, financial risk management, financial technologies, investment finance, etc. Thus, the book aims at addressing the relevance of digital finance for different players, highlighting differences in tools and processes as well as identifying innovative practices in financial digitalization. This can result in some novel theoretical and practical insights that can foster financial players, in order to proactively explore and exploit opportunities in financial digitalization and offset financial risks and increase efficiency.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Digital Economy, ICDEc 2023, which took place in Braga, Portugal, in May 2023. The 26 full papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 72 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: Digital transformation; e-learning and digital competencies; digital marketing and artificial intelligence; e-finance and digital assets; digital marketing and data analytics; digital economy; online session.

Swift implementation of containment measures, limited spillovers from tourism, and COVID-related fiscal spending financed by buoyant fishing revenues and donor grants have allowed Tuvalu—a fragile Pacific micro-state—avoid a recession in 2020. The economy is expected to expand by 2.5 percent in 2021, supported by fiscal expenditures and resumption of infrastructure projects. But significant challenges remain: Tuvalu is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, its economy is dominated by the public sector, and its revenue base is narrow. Uncertainty around donor commitments complicates fiscal planning.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. Rising inequality and widespread poverty, social unrest and polarization, gender and ethnic disparities, declining social mobility, economic fragility, unbalanced growth due to technology and globalization, and existential danger from climate change are urgent global concerns of our day. These issues are intertwined. They therefore require a holistic framework to examine their interplay and bring the various strands together. Leading academic economists have partnered with experts from several international institutions to explain the sources and scale of these challenges. They gather a wide array of empirical evidence and country experiences to lay out practical policy solutions and to devise a comprehensive and unified plan of action for combatting these economic and social disparities. This authoritative book is accessible to policy makers, students, and the general public interested in how to craft a brighter future by building a sustainable, green, and inclusive society in the years ahead.

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSN) are envisioned as an aquatic medium for a variety of applications including oceanographic data collection, disaster management or prevention, assisted navigation, attack protection, and pollution monitoring. Similar to terrestrial wireless sensor networks (WSN), UWSNs consist of sensor nodes that collect the information and pass it to a base station; however, researchers have to face many challenges in executing the network in an aquatic medium. Energy-Efficient Underwater Wireless Communications and Networking is a crucial reference source that covers existing and future possibilities of the area as well as the current challenges presented in the implementation of underwater sensor networks. While highlighting topics such as digital signal processing, underwater localization, and acoustic channel modeling, this publication is ideally designed for machine learning experts, IT specialists, government agencies, oceanic engineers, communication experts, researchers, academicians, students, and environmental agencies concerned with optimized data flow in communication network, securing assets, and mitigating security attacks.

Global growth is expected to decelerate sharply, reflecting synchronous policy tightening aimed at containing very high inflation, worsening financial conditions, and continued disruptions from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Investment growth in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) is expected to remain below its average rate of the past two decades. Further adverse shocks could push the global economy into recession. Small states are especially vulnerable to such shocks because of the reliance on external trade and financing, limited economic diversification, elevated debt, and susceptibility to natural disasters. Against this backdrop, it is critical that EMDE policy makers ensure that any fiscal support is focused on vulnerable groups, that inflation expectations remain well anchored, and that financial systems continue to be resilient. Urgent global and national efforts are also needed to mitigate the risks of global recession and debt distress in EMDEs and to support a major increase in EMDE investment.