Finance is a key ingredient of modern economies, but too much finance may hamper economic growth and worsen income inequality, according to new research from the OECD.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and Greece’s Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, met today to discuss the design and implementation of a series of reforms that the Greek Government is planning to introduce in different policy areas.

This new report presents unique data and analysis on issues that may affect and change, both favourably and unfavourably, the future of business, finance and investment.

The OECD Working Group on Bribery will release a review of Israel’s efforts to fight foreign bribery on Wednesday 24 June 2015 at 11.00 CET.

Israel is not sufficiently proactive in detecting and investigating foreign bribery, with no prosecutions over the past 7 years, despite 14 allegations of foreign bribery involving Israeli individuals or companies. The OECD Working Group on Bribery is, however, encouraged by the recently-opened investigations, and will pay close attention to how these evolve.

Journalists are invited to a media breakfast with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría at 9:00 on Friday 3 July in London ahead of a major speech he will make to the business community on developments in efforts to combat climate change and what governments, companies and investors need to do for a COP21 agreement in December to be effective.

New Zealand is a valued development partner for its small island neighbours, delivering aid effectively and using its experience of natural disasters to help manage risks in the region. It complements its development assistance by using liberal trade and employment systems to support poor countries, according to the OECD’s latest Peer Review of New Zealand.

Local policymakers have a critical role to play in developing more resilient and inclusive economies, particularly because they are well-positioned to take a more integrated approach to tackling complex challenges and seizing new opportunities. Playing this role effectively requires both sufficient local flexibility in national policies and adequate capacities at the local level.

The current low interest rate environment poses a significant risk for the long-term financial viability of pension funds and insurance companies, as they seek to generate sufficient returns to meet promises, according to a new OECD report.

The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2015-2024 will be published on Wednesday 1 July. The report analyses agriculture production, discusses how global markets are reacting to price volatility in both food and commodity markets and looks at farm sector trends for the coming decade. A special chapter in this year’s report analyses the prospects for Brazilian agriculture and the challenges facing the sector.