Opinions from bankers

Andrea Leadsom, Conservative Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire

In 2003, we were a net exporter of gas. By 2030 we expect to be importing close to 75% of the gas we consume. By making the most of our home-grown gas we can safeguard our own domestic supply whilst also cutting our carbon emissions.

Bob Beauprez,

agrees Fracking

I’m pro-fracking, because I’m pro-good science driving good policy. And the science is overwhelming. It’s, this isn’t brand new. It’s brand new to a lot of people, but as you know, Hugh, we’ve been fracking wells in the United States for over 60 years. Over a million of those wells have been fracked. Even people like Lisa Jackson, when she was the EPA administrator for Barack Obama, far from some ... See More

Alan Greenspan, American economist

disagrees Tariffs

Protectionism will do little to create jobs and if foreigners retaliate, we will surely lose jobs.

Charles Dallara, American economist

disagrees Tariffs

Threats of trade protectionism, plus unilateral actions on the exchange-rate front, such as the heavy interventions of China, Japan, and Switzerland in the currency markets - not to mention the retaliatory tariffs recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives - endanger growth prospects and could further depress financial market confidence.

Manmohan Singh, Former prime minister of India

disagrees Tariffs

Protectionism is a very real danger. It is understandable that in times of a severe downturn protectionist pressures mount but the lessons of history are clear. If we give in to protectionist pressures, we will only send the world into a downward spiral.

Lawrence Summers, Economist and Harvard University Professor

agrees AI and robots might cause mass unemployment

It is widely feared that half the jobs in the economy might be eliminated by innovations such as self-driving vehicles, automatic checkout machines and expert systems that trade securities more effectively than humans can.

Mike Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, former mayor of new york city

agrees Health taxes

Noncommunicable diseases are a growing global crisis, especially in low-and-middle income countries. There’s substantial evidence that taxes and fiscal policies are essential to confronting this health threat.

Emmanuel Macron, French President

agrees Many autonomous vehicles will have drivers

I do not believe that autonomous vehicles will exist without any drivers at all. For me, that’s pure imagination. You already have fully automated programs to drive planes. Therefore we technically could have planes with no pilots. But you still have two pilots in every plane. Even if almost everything is automated. That’s because you need to have responsibility, precisely. So what we will reduce ... See More

Emmanuel Macron, French President

agrees Retraining is the solution to job losses

Being focused on protecting jobs is not the right answer. It’s the people you need to protect. You do so by giving them opportunities and by training and retraining them again to get new jobs. Don’t block the change because it’s coming and people will accept it. But try to be at the fore-front of change to better understand it and deal with it. Change can destroy jobs in the very short run, but cr... See More

Emmanuel Macron, French President

agrees Ban Autonomous Weapons

I’m dead against [autonomous weapons]. Because I think you always need responsibility and assertion of responsibility. And technically speaking, you can have in some situations, some automation which will be possible. But automation or machines put in a situation precisely to do that would create an absence of responsibility. Which, for me, is a critical issue. So that’s absolutely impossible. Tha... See More

Mike Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, former mayor of new york city

agrees Soda taxes

Emmanuel Macron, French President

agrees Eurozone finance minister and budget

[We need] deeper integration between eurozone states, including a real eurozone budget [and a] a permanent finance minister who leads this executive. This is a democratic responsibility on the eurozone level, and as such it requires maximum ambition

William C. Dudley, President of Federal Reserve Bank of New York

disagrees Cryptocurrencies

[Bitcoin is] more of a speculative activity.

Jamie Dimon, Chairman, CEO and President of JP Morgan Chase

agrees Cryptocurrencies

[Bitcoin ETFs could be the] holy grail for owners and investors.

Steven Mnuchin, 77th and current United States Secretary of the Treasury as part of the cabinet of Donald Trump

disagrees Cryptocurrencies

We encourage fintech, we encourage innovation, but we want to make sure that all of our financial markets are safe and aren't being used for illicit activities.

Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

disagrees Cryptocurrencies

It's clearly a domain where we need international regulation and proper supervision.

Emmanuel Macron, French President

agrees Porn contributes to violence against women

Pornography has nowadays entered schools. We cannot on the one hand blame violences against women, and on the other hand close our eyes on the influence that porn, which makes of sexuality a theatre of humiliation and violences against women - who come across as having given consent -, exerts on young souls.

Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard economist and former US Treasury secretary

agrees Soda taxes

We have strong evidence from around the world that raising taxes on products like tobacco, sugar sweetened beverages and alcohol is highly effective at reducing harmful consumption and saving lives. I think this is about as close to free-lunch, win-win policy as economists have found

Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard economist and former US Treasury secretary

agrees Health taxes

Alan Blinder, Economist

agrees Carbon Tax

The 'bang for the buck' from a phased-in CO2 levy would be infinite at first—lots of jobs at zero cost to the federal budget.

Donal Marron,

agrees Carbon Tax

Putting a price on carbon is the most efficient way to reduce carbon emissions.

Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard economist and former US Treasury secretary

disagrees Robot Tax

First, I cannot see any logic to singling out robots as job destroyers. There are many kinds of innovation that allow the production of more or better output with less labor input. Why pick on robots? Second, much innovative activity, even of a robotlike variety, involves producing better goods and services rather than simply extracting more output from the same input. Third, and perhaps most fund... See More

Peter Thiel, Technology entrepreneur and investor

agrees AI will pose a serious risk to society within the next 50 years

Thiel foundation is the single largest donor to MIRI, an organization founded by the illustrious Eliezer Yudkowsky

Emmanuel Macron, French President

agrees Labor law should be reformed in France

French system is no longer sustainable

Lawrence Summers, Economist and Harvard University Professor

agrees Carbon Tax

But there should be no doubt that starting from the current zero tax rate on carbon, increased taxation would be desirable

Matt Ridley, Journalist, businessman and a Conservative member of the House of Lords.

agrees Brexit

Harmonising standards is good but doing so at the regional level makes no sense. In fintech, in ag-tech, in digital, in biotech – the action is at the global level, where our voice is just 1/28th of a seat. We could be chairing these bodies.

Douglas Flint, Chairman of HSBC bank

disagrees Brexit

Our strong economic view is that Britain is better within a reformed Europe.

Sajid Javid,

disagrees Brexit

I am not suggesting everything is certain by remaining but there is a lot more uncertainty [if we leave the EU] … Uncertainty is the enemy of jobs and growth.

Emmanuel Macron, French President

disagrees Brexit

When you [Britain] discuss your steel industry with China you are credible because you are part of the EU, not because you are just UK. You will be completely killed otherwise.

Andrea Leadsom, Conservative Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire

agrees Brexit

The EU’s cherished freedom of movement for people within its borders puts enormous strain on our NHS, our education and our housing.

Michael Geoghegan, International banking business executive, former CEO of HSBC

agrees Brexit

The UK’s businesses and in particular its financial services sector would thrive outside the EU if the country votes to leave.

Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

disagrees Brexit

It is bound to be a negative on all fronts. For those that stay, because there are fewer of them, and for those who go, because they lose the benefit of facilitation of exchange.

Mark Carney, Bank of England Governor

disagrees Brexit

Brexit could hit the country's £2.04 trillion economy and prompt some banks to move away from London's global financial powerhouse

George Soros, Business magnate, investor, and philanthropist

disagrees Brexit

The UK will struggle if it cuts itself off from the rest of Europe

Jacob Wallenberg, Chairman of Investor AB

disagrees Brexit

Brexit would be very negative for Europe. The axis of London-Paris-Berlin changing to Paris-Berlin would be a significant change to the core of Europe.

Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of FAM and Vice Chairman of Investor AB

disagrees Brexit

It would be negative for both European and British finance, and probably not a very good thing for the UK generally.

John Nelson, Chairman, Lloyds of London

disagrees Brexit

I can’t emphasise too strongly the importance of the UK’s relationship with the EU, not only for Lloyd’s but also the rest of the UK economy.

Michael Sherwood, Co-CEO, Goldman Sachs International

disagrees Brexit

In all likelihood we would transfer a substantial part of our European business from London to a eurozone location – the most obvious contenders being Paris and Frankfurt.