The rise in China's trade surplus, the increase in oil prices, and a slowdown in demand for U.S. assets from private investors abroad has increased the United States' reliance on foreign governments for financing. This report examines whether America's ability to secure large quantities of external financing from foreign governments is a reflection of its political power, a constraint on its ability to exercise power, or a combination of the two.

The worldwide rise of sovereign wealth funds is emblematic of the ongoing transformation of nation-state economic prospects. Sovereign Wealth Funds maps the global footprints of these financial institutions, examining their governance and investment management, and issues of domestic and international legitimacy. Through a variety of case studies--from the China Investment Corporation to the funds of several Gulf states--the authors show that the forces propelling the adoption and development of sovereign wealth funds vary by country. The authors also show that many of these investment institutions have identifiable commonalities of form and function that match the core institutions of Western financial markets. The authors suggest that the international legitimacy of sovereign wealth funds is based on the degree to which their design and governance match Western expectations about investment management. Undercutting commonplace assumptions about the emerging world of the twenty-first century, the authors demonstrate that even small countries with large and globally oriented sovereign wealth funds are likely to play a significant role in international relations. Sovereign Wealth Funds considers how such financial organizations have altered not only the face of finance, but also the international geopolitical landscape.

This study examines the role of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in the global economy and financial system. Sovereign wealth funds are not a new phenomenon in international finance. Governments of a few countries have used similar entities to manage their international financial assets for several decades. Moreover, countries have always held international reserves, and government-owned entities have made cross-border investments for many years. Sovereign wealth funds or their equivalent pose profound issues for the countries that own them with respect to macroeconomic policy and the potential for corruption. They also raise issues for countries that receive SWF investments as well as for the international financial system as a whole because government ownership introduces potential political and economic power issues into the management of these cross-border assets. This study traces the origins of SWFs. It describes the issues raised by these large governmental holdings of cross-border assets for the countries that own them, for the host countries, and for the international financial system. The study lays out what is known about the 50-plus SWFs of various countries. Some countries have more than one such entity, and a sample of government-managed pension funds is included in this analysis because they raise most of the same basic policy issues. Using publicly available information that is provided on a systematic basis, the author has previously developed a "scoreboard" for these funds involving a number of elements grouped in four categories: structure, governance, transparency and accountability, and behavioral rules. The 2008 edition contributed to the development of a set of generally accepted principles and practices, the Santiago Principles, for SWFs by the International Working Group operating under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund. This publication presents an updated scoreboard for an expanded list of funds, evaluates the Santiago Principles, and examines current compliance with those principles. The study also examines the policies of recipient countries and the role of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) investment codes. Finally, the study discusses the evolving role of SWFs in the context of the global economic and financial crisis and its aftermath and will make recommendations for the policies of countries both managing such funds and those that expect to receive investments from them in the future.

Sovereign wealth funds are a growing and dynamic force in international finance. This is the first book to compile a history of sovereign wealth funds, recounting the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's involvement with the scandal-plagued BCCI bank and Chinese arms exports to Iran. In a straightforward and accessible style, the author examines the complex and amazing growth of an unknown group of investors controlling trillions of dollars worldwide.

As the first major collection of papers on sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises, this book provides an essential guide to the geo-political impact of these pools of capital on global markets. The rise of sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises represents a fundamental shift in market dynamics. The potential fusion of political and commercial imperatives raises unresolved geo-political questions that have been sharpened by the vaporization of credit markets as a consequence of the global financial crisis. State-controlled pools of capital have now eclipsed hedge funds and private equity in terms of funds under management, and the question of their regulation is therefore now of utmost importance. This book highlights the interplay between legal, corporate and policy imperatives associated with the regulation of state capital. Including contributions from leading practitioners, policymakers and academics, it provides an essential guide to professionals and academics in the fields of finance and business.

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are state-owned investment funds with combined asset holdings that are fast approaching four trillion dollars. Recently emerging as a major force in global financial markets, SWFs have other distinctive features besides their state-owned status: they are mainly located in developing countries and are intimately tied to energy and commodities exports, and they carry virtually no liabilities and have little redemption risk, which allows them to take a longer-term investment outlook than most other institutional investors. Edited by a Nobel laureate, a respected academic at the Columbia Business School, and a longtime international banker and asset manager, this volume examines the specificities of SWFs in greater detail and discusses the implications of their growing presence for the world economy. Based on essays delivered in 2011 at a major conference on SWFs held at Columbia University, this volume discusses the objectives and performance of SWFs, as well as their benchmarks and governance. What are the opportunities for SWFs as long-term investments? How do they fulfill their socially responsible mission? And what role can SWFs play in fostering sustainable development and greater global financial stability? These are some of the crucial questions addressed in this one-of-a-kind volume.

Bassan provides a remarkable compendium on the relevant laws, regulations, and standards affecting sovereign wealth funds. These institutions are now at the very centre of the global financial system and demand greater appreciation of their distinctive qualities as well as their likely implications for nation-states and the global economy. Bassan s book is a unique contribution to understanding the governance and regulation of these institutions and will be an important resource book for those who must grapple with the growing power and global scope of these institutions. Gordon L. Clark, University of Oxford, UK and Monash University, Australia This book covers a true vacuum in international legal literature thanks to its multi-facet in-depth analysis of SWFs, a new type of protagonists of transnational investments in the global economy. It analyses critically the various approaches put forth to pinpoint real nature, legal set-up, relevant features in the diverse operating activity of SWF in the perspective of addressing the issue of the most appropriate regulation that would ensure two apparently conflicting goals: the protection of SWF investments and of host states legitimate concerns for vital national political or economic interests and the diverse activities. On this basis, the author reviews the various international hard and soft law regulations proposed and the relevance of existing disciplines including Bilateral Investment Treaties. The full coverage of the issue of sovereign immunity in respect of SWF is a useful completion of the author s analysis. Giorgio Sacerdoti, Bocconi University, Italy This book provides a definition and classification for Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) and discusses its phenomenon within the legal context. It identifies the rules applicable to SWFs and focuses on the bilateral relationships between states. In eight extensive chapters, Fabio Bassan considers whether SWFs may enjoy immunity with respect to host state measures as well as protection in Bilateral Investment Treaties Written from an international law perspective, The Law of Sovereign Wealth Funds will appeal to students of international business, international organizations, banks and governments.

Sovereign Wealth Funds have become increasingly powerful and influential investors. Their increasing role, and unusual character as both political and market actors, raise a number of issues with regard to finance, politics, regulation, and international business. This handbook draws together the growing but fragmented research on SWFs.

Sovereign wealth funds are a growing and dynamic force in international finance. The shifting international economic relations from capital rich states gives them new power in influencing the global agenda. Despite controlling trillions of dollars in the biggest companies in the world, little is known about the opaque funds of oil rich and non-democratic governments. This is the first book to compile a history of sovereign wealth funds recounting the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's involvement with the scandal-plagued BCCI bank and Chinese arms exports to Iran. By constructing a history within the proper context of oil driven surpluses and large inflationary pressures with no international investment framework, this book explains the development and growth of sovereign wealth funds. The economics of capital surplus countries and investment strategies are examined in order to better understand sovereign wealth fund creation and growth. In a straightforward and accessible style, the author examines the complex and amazing growth of an unknown group of investors controlling trillions of dollars worldwide.

Demystifies the process of sovereign wealth fund creation and examines the policy and economic issues surrounding them, updated for a post-Covid world