Abstract

If geopolitics is fought and forged through armies and alliances, geo-economics is that same interplay of competition and co-operation waged through markets, money, and machines.  Tariffs, sanctions, and chokepoints in chips, currencies, and cables sit alongside new groupings and shared standards as instruments of statecraft.

Mr Ravi Menon explores in this lecture the new geo-economics.  Is the world fragmenting, or quietly reconfiguring? Is globalisation taking new forms even as multilateralism is eroding?  He envisions what a “Globalisation 2.0” might look like — built on plurilateral coalitions, resilience-driven supply chains, digital and green trade corridors, inter-operable payment rails, and refreshed domestic social compacts. What role might a small state like Singapore play in shaping such a future? And what has the strange logic of quantum physics to do with all this?

About the Speaker

Ravi Menon has a portfolio of work in sustainability, innovation, and inclusion.

Mr Menon is Singapore’s Ambassador for Climate Action and Senior Adviser to the National Climate Change Secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office.  He chairs the advisory boards of: GFANZ Asia-Pacific Network and Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership; and co-chairs the international Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets.

Mr Menon is Chairman of the Global Finance & Technology Network.  He is also a Trustee of the National University of Singapore (NUS) and chairs its Innovation and Enterprise Committee.

Mr Menon is Chairman of ImpactSG, and serves on the boards of two other charities: The Majurity Trust and Singapore Indian Development Association.

Prior to his current roles, Mr Menon served for 36 years in the Singapore Public Service.

As Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Mr Menon oversaw monetary policies; reformed the financial regulatory framework; and developed Singapore as a global FinTech hub and green finance centre.

As Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade & Industry, Mr Menon helped to steer the economy during the global financial crisis.  As Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, he oversaw fiscal policy and government reserves.

A recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal from the Singapore Government and the Distinguished Leadership and Service Award from the Institute of International Finance, Mr Menon is a graduate of NUS and Harvard University.