Staci Warden
Showing 16–26 of 26 transcripts.
- Milken Institute52 min
Open for Business: Myanmar's Great Comeback
Staci Warden, Azeem Azimuddin, Serge Pun, Sean Turnell
A panel of economists and investors assessed Myanmar's rapid economic stabilization, noting a 6.9% GDP growth rate and the new NLD government's success in halving the budget deficit while lowering inflation. Focusing on a 27-year median age workforce and 90% mobile penetration, the discussion highlighted labor-intensive manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism as primary drivers for the required $10–20 billion in infrastructure investment. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's personal oversight of the economy provided a signal of accountability, though panelists cautioned that bureaucratic execution capacity remains a critical challenge alongside necessary regulatory reforms.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
The Blockchain: It's Not All About the Money
Staci Warden, Leanne Kemp, Greg Li, Sopnendu Mohanty, David Treat, Zia Zaman
At a Milken Institute panel moderated by industry leaders from JPMorgan and Accenture, representatives from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and major corporations outlined how blockchain replaces fragmented databases with shared, immutable ledgers to drive regulatory experimentation and supply chain transparency. The discussion detailed concrete implementations including Singapore's domestic digital currency pilot, Georgia's national land titling migration, and Everledger's diamond provenance tracking, while addressing critical challenges such as data quality, quantum threats, and the necessity of re-architecting legacy systems. Looking forward, experts predict that within a decade, this technology will automate financial reconciliation and digitize identity and health records, fundamentally shifting the economic efficiency of global asset management and clearing settlements.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
IPOs for SMEs: Can Capital Markets Close the Financing Gap?
Staci Warden, Ana Carvajal, Ashish Chauhan, Siobhan Cleary, Nick Thadaney, Arumna Abdul, Daniel, Scott Birdwell
A high-level panel of global financial experts identified credit access as the primary barrier for Small and Medium Enterprises, proposing tiered exchange models from Canada's TMX Group and India's Bombay Stock Exchange as effective mechanisms to mobilize local capital while protecting investors through graded liquidity rules. The discussion detailed how proportional regulatory frameworks, market maker programs, and innovative instruments like securitized receivables can balance enforcement with the need for lower compliance costs, successfully transitioning hundreds of companies from junior markets to senior boards. Ultimately, stakeholders argued that sustainable SME ecosystems require shifting from isolated IPO promotion to holistic financing environments that integrate private equity exit routes and foster job creation without distorting market integrity.
- Milken Institute58 min
New Horizons: The Evolution of Direct Lending and Illiquid Credit
Staci Warden, Michael Arougheti, Mary Katherine DuBose, Damien Dwin, Nino Fanlo, Terry Harris, Mike Garaghetti, Mary Catherine Dubois
Representatives from Ares Management, Wells Fargo, Brightwood Capital, SoFi, and Barings convened to analyze the maturation of the private credit market, defining direct lending as a global asset class spanning from family-owned businesses to PE-backed corporations. Panelists highlighted divergent strategies across the sector, including asset-backed senior financing, supply-demand imbalances for underserved founders, and disintermediation of super-prime consumers, while noting strong credit fundamentals despite a late-cycle environment. As regulatory frameworks evolve and fee compression accelerates, the industry faces a shift toward market efficiency where relationship premiums erode and liquidity managers prioritize rational relative value decisions over concentrated sponsor reliance.
- Milken Institute42 min
A Fireside Chat with Serge Pun Building Myanmar
Serge Pun, Staci Warden, Mike Milken, Mahendra Lama, Minseok Lee, Dickey Yuhuiko, Brad Gordon
Expanding from a private interview to a public forum, the Milken Institute session featured Serge Poon and Mike Milken discussing Myanmar's shifting economic landscape following the removal of US sanctions. Poon detailed his forty-year journey from displacement to rebuilding a private banking empire through strict anti-corruption practices, while outlining a strategy prioritizing long-term infrastructure investment over short-term gains. The dialogue concluded with an optimistic five-year forecast for nation-building, emphasizing regional connectivity and the need for investors to support foundational "trunk" projects despite lingering political risks.
- Milken Institute1h 11m
Treasury's War on Terror: What It Means for Banking and Global Commerce
Staci Warden, Timothy Adams, Christine Duhaime, John Dye, Matthew Epstein, Farley Mesko
At the 2016 Milken Institute Global Conference, panelists analyzed how the U.S. Treasury's aggressive post-9/11 sanctions strategy inadvertently triggered widespread financial de-risking and excluded unbanked populations. Experts highlighted the inefficiency of current anti-money laundering regimes, noting that banks spend vast resources on broad compliance rather than targeting the estimated 0.1% of illicit flows actually detected. The discussion concluded by proposing a shift toward technology-driven intelligence, collaborative law enforcement models, and unified regulatory guidance to restore financial inclusion while surgically targeting known bad actors.
- Milken Institute54 min
Globalization: Path to Prosperity or Race to the Bottom?
Staci Warden, Victoria Espinel, Tony Fratto, Francisco González Díaz, Clark Roberts, Stefan Selig
Panelists analyzed the economic and political complexities of globalization, highlighting how the Trans-Pacific Partnership addresses modern digital flows while contrasting steady public support for trade with the acute, localized disruptions that drive populist sentiment. Evidence showed that economies integrated into global value chains outperformed protectionist ones, yet the discussion emphasized the urgent need to expand worker retraining programs and shift the policy narrative to explain the benefits of an open economy to younger generations. Ultimately, the dialogue argued that maintaining international connectivity is essential for addressing cross-border threats and sustaining future economic growth despite the challenges of the 2016 political landscape.
- Milken Institute58 min
Filling the Mid-Market Financing Gap
Staci Warden, Michael Arougheti, André Bourbonnais, Bilal Rashid, Brian Reynolds, Steven Sugarman, Stacey Worden, Mike Arrigetti
Panelists from major firms including Aries Management, PSP Investments, and the Bank of California discussed the mid-market's critical role in U.S. job creation following a structural shift where regulatory changes like Basel III forced large banks to exit leveraged lending. This disintermediation has driven institutional investors to deploy over $1 trillion in private debt capital, with regional banks adopting shadow banking models to fill the void left by systemically important institutions. While the sector currently offers strong covenant protection and floating-rate benefits, experts warn that leverage thresholds exceeding 4.5x and stress in energy and mining sectors could precipitate a default cycle by 2018 despite an otherwise resilient outlook.
- Milken Institute1h 4m
Widening Access to Capital in Developing Markets
Staci Warden, Afsaneh Beschloss, Ermias Eshetu, Claver Gatete, Hua Jingdong, Jingdong Hua, Ruben Brigadier, Miguel, Matthew Reese
The Milken Institute's Center for Financial Markets convened with IFC leaders and East African officials to analyze how regional integration and local currency bond issuance can bridge the capital access gap in developing economies. Case studies from Rwanda and Ethiopia highlighted how structural reforms, such as harmonized regulations and mandatory commodity exchanges, are mobilizing domestic savings and enabling large-scale infrastructure financing. The dialogue concluded with the announcement of a joint IFC and George Washington University program designed to train African capital market officials in implementing these critical financial infrastructure reforms.
- Milken Institute55 min
2014 London Summit - Have Central Banks Created an Asset Bubble?
Willem Buiter, Ousmène Mandeng, Robert Seminara, Zak Summerscale, Staci Warden, David Zervos, Wilhelm Stelzenmüller
Panelists led by Wilhelm Stelzenmüller argue that asset bubbles stem from private sector responses to forced central bank liquidity due to fiscal paralysis, rather than direct central bank creation. The discussion contrasts risks in leveraged private equity and covenant-lite loans with the broader credit market, while identifying ineffective post-2008 monetary frameworks and Eurozone structural deficits as key drivers of stagnation. Experts conclude that sustainable recovery requires comprehensive fiscal stimulus and structural reforms, warning that reliance on monetary expansion alone will eventually force a burst of the current credit bubble.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
MI Summit 2013 - London: Investment Opportunities and Risks in Africa
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Karim Anjarwalla, Ade Ayeyemi, Sara Menker, James Mwangi, Staci Warden, Paul Hinks
Panelists and experts highlighted Africa's robust economic fundamentals, including a 6% annual growth rate, a median age of 20, and a projected middle class exceeding one billion people by 2060. While historical stereotypes have often led to inflated risk assessments and costly capital pricing, the presence of major multinationals and the rise of local champions in banking, legal, and telecom sectors demonstrate that governance improvements and regional integration are driving tangible market maturation. Successful investment strategies now emphasize informed courage, deep local partnerships, and the realization that corruption is an increasing barrier rather than an inevitable operational cost.