Editor’s Letter

This issue of The Journal of Investing focuses on cryptocurrencies in the global economy. On April 24, 2018, Cryptocurrencies in the Global Economy was the topic of the 36th Annual Monetary Trade Conference, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Global Interdependence Center, and Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. This issue includes contributions from recognized experts, academics, and renowned practitioners. I am grateful to Jalupa Jagtiani, Michael Papaioannou, and George Tsetsekos, organizers of the conference, for their work in serving as the guest editors for this section.

Julapa Jagtiani is senior special advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and a fellow member of the Wharton Financial Institutions Center. She joined the Philadelphia Fed as a special advisor in the Supervision, Regulation, and Credit Department in 2008. In this role, she has conducted research and participated in several supervisory policy and implementation projects, including serving on the Federal Reserve Fintech Task Force and being a member of the Risk Council Fintech Subgroup. Previously, Jagtiani was a senior economist at the Chicago Fed and Kansas City Fed, and prior to that she was an associate professor in the finance department at Baruch College, the City University of New York. She has published articles in top finance journals, including the Journal of Financial Economics; the Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking; and the Journal of Banking and Finance. Her recent research has focused on issues related to fintech, use of alternative data and AI/ML in credit decisions, small business lending, and community bank mergers. Outside the Federal Reserve System, Julapa serves on the Leadership Council Board of Directors for the American Red Cross. Julapa was a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship recipient. Julapa received her MBA and PhD from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Michael Papaioannou serves as a technical assistance expert/advisor at the International Monetary Fund and is a visiting scholar and professor at Drexel’s LeBow College of Business. He was a deputy division chief at the IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department until July 2017. With expertise in sovereign debt restructurings and domestic government bond market development, he has led numerous IMF missions and has been involved in the IMF policy-making in these areas. Also, he has served as a special adviser to the Governing Board of the Bank of Greece and was a senior vice president for International Financial Services at the Wharton Econometrics Forecasting Associates.

George Tsetsekos serves as the Francis Professor of Finance at Drexel’s LeBow College of Business and was the Dean of the College during 2002–12. With expertise in investments and corporate finance, Dr. Tsetsekos has published research in corporate restructuring and international finance. He has undertaken specialized assignments with international organizations including the World Bank and with several public companies on matters related to risk management.

In their introductory paper, “Cryptocurrencies in the Global Economy,” Jagtiani, Papaioannou, and Tsetsekos provide an overview of the topics covered in the conference, as well as a synopsis of each contribution in this special issue.

As always, we welcome your submissions. We value your comments and suggestions, so please email us at journals{at}investmentresearch.org.

Brian Bruce

Editor-in-Chief

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