OMFIF Sovereign Debt Institute

Sovereign borrowers have been at the heart of governments’ response to the Covid-19 crisis, issuing unprecedented levels of debt into markets that had already been swollen by quantitative easing following the 2008 financial crisis.

While the stock of debt rises, traditional investor demand has fallen given historically low interest rates and the distorting effect of central bank buying. Dialogue and co-operation between all sides of the bond market – the issuers, investors and intermediaries who help sell and trade their bonds – will be crucial in plotting a path back to normality in these markets.

While debt management offices deal with the pressing issues of today, they must also look to the future. Sovereign borrowers are at the vanguard of green and sustainable bond market development, vital to the financial markets’ response to the climate change crisis. And they face new challenges in terms of the digitalisation of capital markets, in particular the implications of central bank digital currencies.

OMFIF has been the leading global forum for central banks, policy-makers and global public funds for more than a decade. Our strong ties to these communities – and our trusted position among them – naturally leads to our new, dedicated platform for promoting best practice via the launch of the Sustainable Debt Institute.

The SDI brings together debt management offices, supranational agencies, public investors and capital market banks through events, panel discussions, interviews, off-the-record roundtables, educational workshops and research publications, as well as dedicated editorial content. Our aim is to promote high-level strategic dialogue alongside detailed discussion about technical issues, which helps sovereign borrowers meet the challenges they face.