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Milken Institute Finance
Finance Pillar Highlight
Finance Portfolios
We work within six portfolio areas: 10,000 Communities; Financial Innovations Labs; FinTech and Innovation; Geo-Economics, Climate Resilience, and Innovation; Inclusive Capitalism; and Lifetime Financial Security.
Featured Thought Leadership
Investing in the Future – Innovations in Critical Mineral Supply Chains
The world needs minerals found in the Earth’s crust—and lots of them. Their prized properties render them essential. Smartphones use minerals to enable a touch response, emit glow and vibrations, provide high-quality audio and video, and...Read Article
Stories from the Field: Kei Onishi
You’ve spent 17 years of your career at Yamaha Motor Company. How has your ability to adapt to disruptions shaped your current role at Yamaha Motor Ventures? Throughout my tenure at Yamaha Motor Company, I’ve led diverse teams across...Read Article
The Impact of Mining on Local Communities
Global mining demand from clean energy technologies is projected to double—or more—by 2040. Meeting this demand through increased mining activity is crucial to addressing climate change, but it will also significantly and disparately impact...Read ReportImage
Brock Smith
Associate Director, ResearchBrock Smith, PhD, is an associate director on the research team at the Milken Institute. His research has focused on environmental economics and natural resource economics, particularly the economic and social effects of natural resource booms.
Innovative Financing Models for Resilient Critical Mineral Supply Chains
The need for resilient and secure critical mineral supply chains is now a globally acknowledged concept. Decades of investment disparities have exposed the fragility of supply, as strong and rising global demand clashes with monopolistic...Read Report
Inclusion of NDAA Amendment 3732 to Further the Impact of the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Industry
The Honorable John Thune Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Charles E. Schumer Democratic Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Roger F. Wicker Chairman, Armed Services Committee...Read Letter
20 Years After Katrina: Rebuilding for Real Resilience
Two decades ago, the levees broke in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and the results broke our hearts. The storm exposed one city’s vulnerability to a hard-charging Category 3 hurricane and tragically upended the lives of the city’s...Read Article
The Missing Billions: Analyzing the Impact of Women-Led Fund Managers
This report from the Milken Institute Inclusive Capitalism Program, in collaboration with the Research team at Milken Institute Finance, analyzes the impact of female emerging venture funds on the greater financial landscape.Read Report
NJ
Global Digital Asset Adoption: Asia
Asia is a global proving ground for digital financial innovation, regulation, and adoption. With the world’s largest population—4.9 billion—significant capital heft, and a unique mix of emerging and emerged economies, the region benefits...Read Article
After the Fires, the Fires Still Burn
On January 7, 2025, the Los Angeles metropolitan area experienced something unprecedented in modern American history. Two simultaneous urban fires broke out in Los Angeles County, fueled by a nine-month drought and hurricane-strength winds...Read ArticleImage
Kevin Klowden
Executive Director, Milken Institute FinanceKevin Klowden is the executive director of Milken Institute Finance. He specializes in the study of key factors that underlie the development of competitive regional economies (clusters of innovation, patterns of trade and investment, and concentration of skilled labor) and how these are influenced by public policy and, in turn, affect regional economies both globally and nationally.Prescription Drug User Fee Act VIII (PDUFA)
FasterCures at the Milken Institute is honored to provide our response to the Reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act; Public Meeting; Request for Comments [FDA–2025–N–0816]. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, the Milken...Read LetterImage
Esther Krofah
Executive Vice President, Milken Institute HealthEsther Krofah is the executive vice president of Milken Institute Health, leading FasterCures, Public Health, the Future of Aging, and Feeding Change. She has extensive experience managing efforts to unite diverse stakeholders to solve critical issues and achieve shared goals that improve patients’ lives.
The Cost of Policy Uncertainty
Launching and running a small business or startup is as much about managing risk as it is about bringing a great idea to market. Whether you’re opening a small-town bakery or launching a biotech startup, entrepreneurship requires a strong...Read ArticleImage
Kristen Fanarakis
Associate Director, Small Business Policy and InnovationKristen Fanarakis leads the small business policy, entrepreneurship, and innovation initiative within the Milken Institute’s Finance pillar. She focuses on the macroeconomic and systemic trends affecting American small businesses and startups, and the implications for the economy and innovation.Building a Resilient America - FEMA Review Council
As the federal government considers a wide range of ideas to improve disaster preparation, recovery, and response, we are writing to propose a new framework for shared responsibility to maximize the impact of federal investment while...Read Letter