Saudi G20 Presidency, BIS Invite Innovators to Find Solutions to Financial Challenges

Saudi G20 Presidency and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub invite global innovators to find solutions to the most pressing financial regulatory & supervisory challenges
Saudi G20 Presidency and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub invite global innovators to find solutions to the most pressing financial regulatory & supervisory challenges
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Saudi G20 Presidency, BIS Invite Innovators to Find Solutions to Financial Challenges

Saudi G20 Presidency and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub invite global innovators to find solutions to the most pressing financial regulatory & supervisory challenges
Saudi G20 Presidency and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub invite global innovators to find solutions to the most pressing financial regulatory & supervisory challenges

The Saudi G20 Presidency and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub have launched the G20 TechSprint Initiative to highlight the potential for new technologies to resolve regulatory compliance (RegTech) and supervision (SupTech) challenges.

The BIS Innovation Hub, through its Singapore Center, and the Saudi G20 Presidency have published high-priority RegTech/SupTech operational problems and invite private firms to develop innovative technological solutions. The problem statements identify challenges in regulatory reporting, analytics, and monitoring and supervision, and have been developed from submissions received from Financial Stability Board (FSB) member jurisdictions.

The hackathon-style competition is also supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the FSB, API Exchange (APIX), and the RegTech for Regulators Accelerator (R2A).

Commenting on the launch from the Saudi G20 presidency, the Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, Ahmed Alkholifey, said: “Alongside the BIS Innovation Hub, we look to the global fintech community to help mobilize effective solutions to pressing financial regulatory and supervisory challenges, including by supporting regulatory and supervisory responses against the COVID19 pandemic.”

“The G20 TechSprint Initiative will support the efforts of supervisors and regulators in reaping the benefits of technology to ensure that the global financial system continues to support households and businesses,” he added.

“TechSprint encapsulates one of the core principles of the BIS Innovation Hub, which is to develop public goods in the technology space to enhance the functioning of the global financial system,” said Benoît Cœuré, Head of the BIS Innovation Hub.



Travel Industry to Contribute Record $11 Trillion to Global GDP in 2024

Tourists check a souvenir stand while walking around the Grand-Place square, in central Brussels, Belgium, 31 August 2024. (EPA)
Tourists check a souvenir stand while walking around the Grand-Place square, in central Brussels, Belgium, 31 August 2024. (EPA)
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Travel Industry to Contribute Record $11 Trillion to Global GDP in 2024

Tourists check a souvenir stand while walking around the Grand-Place square, in central Brussels, Belgium, 31 August 2024. (EPA)
Tourists check a souvenir stand while walking around the Grand-Place square, in central Brussels, Belgium, 31 August 2024. (EPA)

A record $1 out of every $10 spent globally in 2024 will be on travel as people briskly book hotels, cruises and flights, according to an annual report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, a non-profit membership organization.

The travel and tourism industry's contribution to global gross domestic product is expected to reach new heights as consumers increasingly see travel as an essential part of their budgets.

The WTTC estimates the industry's contribution to global GDP in 2024 will increase 12.1% year-over-year to $11.1 trillion, making up 10% of global GDP. This represents about a 7.5% increase from the previous record set in 2019.

"Despite some concerns last year about us going into a global recession and high inflation, this year we are looking at travel and tourism being a real economic powerhouse globally," said Julia Simpson, CEO of the non-profit organization.

Travel spending in the US, Chinese and German economies is expected to contribute the most to GDP.

The sector is expected to support nearly 348 million jobs in 2024, or 13.6 million jobs more than in 2019, the previous record prior to the pandemic. The industry is still hiring to fill jobs in the rapidly expanding field.

In the United States, there are currently 1 million job openings across the leisure and hospitality industry, according to the US Travel Association. Total employment supported in the US was about 27 million jobs in 2023, according to the WTTC.