The story behind the mysterious “Moai Statues” of Easter Island
For centuries, the famous Easter Island moai statues have stood tall on this remote Pacific landscape — but who built them, how were they moved, and why were they erected…
The super-rich are different from you and me
Paul Krugman The super-rich are different from you and me. They are pettier and more self-centered than most of us can easily imagine. Hi, Paul Krugman here. This video is…
AI is the force for change in banking
Chris Skinner I’ve just been reading McKinsey’s latest piece about the AI-powered bank. It reads like a polite consulting report, but underneath it is a fairly brutal critique of the…
Inflation hits a six-month high; the programme has failed; this time, the excuse is the war…
Levent Gürses As inflation begins to rise again, this time the excuse is the war in Iran. Yet the war is affecting the whole world, and despite minor fluctuations, inflation…
Mapping the military AI industry
Dr Alexander Blanchard, Dr Vincent Boulanin & Laura Bruun The involvement of industry is a key aspiration of arms control initiatives on the responsible application of artificial intelligence (AI) in…
Does crypto create or destroy democracy?
Chris Skinner The Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute (BISI) produced a document yesterday about the risk of cryptocurrency to democracy. Seriously? Cryptocurrency is a libertarian dream that gives all of…
A novelist’s perspective on the spirit of the times through the concept of ‘accessible luxury’ and a statistical snapshot of poverty
Levent Gürses By the end of 2025, the proportion of wage earners in Turkey earning just 5 per cent above or below the minimum wage had reached 49.6 per cent…
As the petro-dollar myth crumbles, the shift is underway to the “petro-yuan” which will upend the balance of power
Osman Şenkul One of the most important cornerstones of the organised development of international trade is undoubtedly the ‘Silk Road’. The Silk Road, which linked the Far East with Anatolia…
Chris Skinner: Digital banking and fintech have ruined the customer experience
Chris Skinner We’ve moved from simplicity to fragmentation, and now we’re struggling with the consequences. In short, we’ve built a highly fragmented financial world in the name of innovation, and…
IMF / Georgieva: Our members can rely on us for financial support
Kristalina Georgieva A resilient world economy is being tested again by the war in the Middle East. The conflict has caused considerable hardship around the globe. My heart goes out…