This project looks at what are the most promising policy ideas that could disrupt the existing finance system in a way to overcome some of the biggest barriers to a sustainable economy.

Recently

• Phase 3 we held a joint seminar with IPPR in September 2012. This looked at the different policy options available to deliver genuine banking reform. Speakers included Chris Hewett (who leads this project for the Lab), Prof.Richard Werner (University of Southampton), Tony Dolphin (IPPR) and Baroness Kramer.
• Some of recommended policy amendments will be tabled by Baroness Susan Kramer in the Autumn.
• We are publishing a joint policy paper on regulatory barriers to alternative finance providers with the think tank Respublica, to coincide with the discussion of these amendments in October.
• Will be holding a peer-to-peer Finance Policy Summit in late November or early December 2012.
• We are creating a business plan on how to scale up ‘creating a movement for policy change in finance’

Background

• We won funding for this project from the Calouste Gulbenkien Foundation
• Chris Hewett was brought onboard to lead the project (he is an Associate with Green Alliance and previously of the Environment Agency and the Institute for Public Policy Research)
• The project is in three phases running from October 2011 to the end of 2012
• Phase 1 was a mapping exercise of the different disruptive policy ideas already being debated. Chris conducted approximately 20 in-depth dialogue interviews with the key thinkers from the wide spectrum of mainstream finance, social entrepreneurs, academics, business and NGOs. He has also reviewed litereature from other organisations.
• Phase 2 involved a major workshop, in March 2012, where we presented this mapping and hosted a conversation amongst key thinkers and policy advocates around which policy ideas could be championed by The Finance Innovation Lab, in collaboration with other organisations, and taken forward by the project

If you are interested in this project, please contact chris.j.hewett@gmail.com