OECD Business and Finance

Support and protections for financial consumers experiencing vulnerability are an important part of many financial consumer protection frameworks around the world. Our latest paper provides a conceptual framework for understanding financial consumer vulnerability and highlights policy options to address the issue. Policy makers should bear in mind that: • Vulnerability is not a permanent label – belonging to a certain group or sharing a characteristic doesn’t automatically make someone vulnerable. • Vulnerability arises from the interaction of circumstances and characteristics of financial consumers with the behaviour and conduct of firms. • Policy responses require breadth (i.e. strengthened general protections for all financial consumers, since we can all become vulnerable) and depth (i.e. specific accommodations or protections targeted to the needs of certain types of consumers). Find out more about financial consumer vulnerability and its relevance in the context of financial services: https://brnw.ch/21wRR8g Matthew Soursourian, Miles Larbey, Rachel Karen, PhD

The way companies hold #shareholder meetings has evolved rapidly in recent years, in part as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with virtual and hybrid formats becoming more common. While these formats can enhance shareholder engagement and participation, they also raise important regulatory and policy considerations, in particular for shareholder rights. This new OECD report examines how 50 major economies approach general shareholder meetings, with case studies from the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. By comparing these countries’ experiences, the report identifies good practices and opportunities for improvement aligned with the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance. 📖 Read the report: https://brnw.ch/21wRPkw #corporategovernance

📢 Call for Contributions The OECD Working Group on Bribery is conducting two consultations, as part of its monitoring of the implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in: 📌Colombia 📌Estonia We are seeking input from the private sector and civil society to inform the evaluation process. We invite: 🔹 Written submissions providing feedback, insights and background information on these countries’ efforts to combat the bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. 🔹 Expressions of interest to participate in on-site visits, a crucial step in evaluating how anti-bribery laws are applied in practice. Contributions are key to ensuring a comprehensive evaluation. If you are interested in participating, please get in touch! For dates and more details: 👉https://brnw.ch/21wRMsx 👉https://brnw.ch/21wRMsw

Corporate borrowing and corporate investment have been increasingly disconnected. Since 2008, corporate bond issuance has grown significantly above trend, while corporate investment has not. In 2009-23, cumulative bond issuance by non-financial companies was USD 12.9 trillion higher than the pre-2008 trend would have suggested, while corporate investment was USD 8.4 trillion lower. Rather than productive investment, most debt in recent years has been used to fund financial operations like refinancings and shareholder payouts. This means existing debt is unlikely to pay itself off through returns on productive investment. 📚 Read more in our Global Debt Report: https://brnw.ch/21wRKS7 #GlobalDebt

Don’t miss out! Receive a summary of the latest work from the OECD Directorate for Financial and Entreprise Affairs, straight to your inbox. We analyse policy evolutions in global competition, capital markets, investment, infrastructure, anti-corruption, and responsible business conduct. Our data covers key indicators on global debt, corporate governance trends, foreign direct investment, pensions and insurance. Whether you're a policymaker, business leader, researcher or investor, our insights aim to guide decision-making in ever-changing global markets. 🌍 🔔 Subscribe today! https://brnw.ch/21wPY4f

Join the OECD and FinCoNet for an international virtual seminar on supporting financial access and inclusion through quality financial products.    The seminar will feature expert discussions on: ➡️ How basic bank accounts can deliver financial access and quality ➡️ The role of government-backed initiatives in promoting fair and inclusive financial services 📅 Date: April 11, 2025 ⏰ Time: 12:00 – 15:00 CEST 💻 Format: Virtual (Zoom) 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eN246dUV Quality financial products and broad financial access are important components of an effective financial consumer protection framework. Recognising this, the 2021-22 review of the G20/OECD High-Level Principles on Financial Consumer Protection introduced two new principles:   Principle 3: Access & Inclusion – Governments should support consumers in accessing and using financial services, ensuring financial inclusion, particularly in times of hardship. Principle 8: Quality Financial Products – Financial institutions should design products to meet consumer needs, support their financial well-being, and ensure affordability, availability, and fair terms.   Both principles intersect in significant ways, shaping policies that promote basic bank accounts and government-backed initiatives to ensure high-quality financial services for all. However, challenges remain: financial institutions may prioritise profitability over universal access, and basic banking options may not be effectively communicated to consumers.   We invite you to join the conversation. Matthew Soursourian; Miles Larbey; Rachel Karen, PhD; Tanjana Islam; Ophélie Bemelmans

💡 Do you or your business partners use 日本語 (Japanese), 한국어 (Korean), 中文 (Chinese), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), မြန်မာ (Burmese), Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), ខ្មែរ (Khmer) or ไทย (Thai)? Check out OECD resources on responsible business conduct available in Asian languages on the Responsible Business Conduct for Green, Digital and Resilient Supply Chains in Asia project website: http://oe.cd/5XO Translations available include: 🛠 OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct in 𝘽𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙖 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙖 💎 OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas in 𝙆𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙣 🍎 OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains in 𝙅𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 👕 A short flyer on OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment & Footwear Sector in 𝙑𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙚 Sign up to receive updates from the Responsible Business Conduct for Green, Digital and Resilient Supply Chains in Asia project. This project is funded by the European Union . ✉️ Subscribe: bit.ly/RBCAsia-News #OECDRBCAsia #RBCAsia #OECDRBC #RBC #ResponsibleBusinessConduct #supplychain #duediligence Kate Wilson | Kana Murai | Choyeong Whang | Allan Lerberg Jørgensen | Thorfinnur Omarsson | Rashad Abelson | Hannah Koep-Andrieu | Nicolas Hachez | Kevin Lehmann | Benjamin Michel EU Delegation to the Republic of Korea | 駐日欧州連合代表部 • Delegation of the European Union to Japan | European Union Delegation to Singapore | European Union in Aotearoa New Zealand | European Union Delegation to Australia

In the last decade, companies around the globe have significantly invested in anti-corruption compliance programmes, but how can they ensure that these programmes are effective? This paper looks into methodologies and tools that companies use to assess and enhance the effectiveness of their anti-corruption programmes, including: ✅Key performance indicators ✅Culture surveys ✅Data analytics ✅Audits ✅Peer learning and collective action 🔗Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21wRGO3 Elodie Beth-Seo Basel Institute on Governance

The Methodology for Assessing the Implementation of the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance is out! 🔎 It can be used by governments, regulators, and international organisations to assess how countries are implementing the G20/OECD Principles and improve their corporate governance framework. By focusing on outcomes, the Methodology recognises that there are different ways to achieve good corporate governance. Whether it's protecting minority shareholders, strengthening market integrity, or improving board accountability, this tool helps assessors make informed judgments and support evidence-based policy discussions. This version updates the 2017 edition and incorporates changes made to the G20/OECD Principles in 2023. Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21wRGmz #corporategovernance

Governments and business must work together to fight corruption. Very happy to open the #OECDIntegrity Forum 2025, which will explore how innovation and emerging technologies such as AI, data analytics and digital forensics are shaping new approaches to improve anti-corruption and integrity efforts worldwide. 🔗 https://oe.cd/5Yx