Our Curious Amalgam

Digital financial services are transforming the way we bank, borrow, save, invest, and make payments. But are these innovations creating more competitive markets, or are they simply fostering new forms of market power? On this episode of Our Curious Amalgam, we speak with Beatriz Marques of the OECD Competition Division about the evolving competitive landscape in digital finance. We explore the role of FinTechs, incumbent banks, card networks, and BigTech platforms; the importance of data, interoperability, and open banking; and what competition authorities can do to foster innovation while protecting competition and consumers in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.

With special guest: Beatriz Marques, OECD Related Links: OECD (2025), "Competition in mobile payment services", OECD Roundtables on Competition Policy Papers, No. 324, OECD Publishing, Paris

OECD (2025), "Balancing prudential regulation and competition considerations in banking", OECD Roundtables on Competition Policy Papers, No. 329, OECD Publishing, Paris

OECD (2026), "Banking Unbundled: Competition in the Age of Digitalisation"

Hosted by: Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter and Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank

Vertical merger review has long rested on the principle that competitive harm is most likely when a merged firm has both the ability and incentive to foreclose rivals, yet courts and enforcers often struggle to establish that harm empirically. But can potentially anticompetitive vertical integrations be screened in advance using observable market characteristics? Charles Hodgson, Assistant Professor of Economics at Yale University and Faculty Research Fellow at the NBER, and Shilong Sun, Senior Economist at Compass Lexecon, join Anora Wang and Panos Dimitrellos to discuss how evidence from the Chinese film industry sheds light on when vertical foreclosure is likely to emerge, why downstream concentration and upstream product substitutability matter, and how these findings may inform modern merger review across industries ranging from movie theaters to digital platforms. Listen to this episode to learn more about how a practical screening framework for vertical mergers could help identify when foreclosure concerns are most likely to arise and provide enforcers and practitioners with a more evidence-based approach to assessing competitive harm.

With special guests: Charles Hodgson, Professor, Yale and Shilong Sun, Dr., Compass Lexecon Related Links:

• Charles Hodgson bio
• Shilong Sun bio
• Heterogeneity in Vertical Foreclosure: Evidence from the Chinese Film Industry

Hosted by: Panos Dimitrellos, Secretariat Economists and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

AI is transforming all areas of legal practice. But what are the special issues in antitrust? Daniel Schwarz, CEO and Founder of CompetitionAI and a former antitrust attorney at Clifford Chance and the IMF, joins Matthew Hall and Alysha Pannu to discuss the use of AI in antitrust now and in the future and its impact on lawyers and competition authorities. Listen to this episode to learn more about CompetitionAI and the impact of AI on antitrust practice and enforcement.

With special guest: Daniel Schwarz, co-founder, CompetitionAI Related Links: CompetitionAI website Hosted by: Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods and Alysha Pannu, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt

Are you as AI fluent as you should be? The American Bar Association's "21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge" is a free online resource that offers a path toward becoming adept in the use of AI to enhance legal practice and professional development. In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and James Hunsberger speak with legal innovation strategist and "21 Days of AI" co-author Gabrielle Kohlmeier about the origins of the Challenge and how closing the AI knowledge gender gap was a key driver of the project. Listen and learn how the "21 Days of AI" can level the AI fluency playing field not just for women lawyers, but for anyone contending with the AI revolution in their work and personal life.

With special guest: Gabrielle ZA Kohlmeier, Principal and Founder, GK Strategic Advisory, former Verizon Global Head of Legal Change Related Links: The 21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge

The Grit and Growth Mindset Project Hosted by: Alicia Downey, Downey Law and James Hunsberger, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider

What have been the latest competition law developments across the Middle East and Africa in the last year? Nicolas Bremer and John Oxenham join Matthew Hall and Jeny Maier to discuss new filing regimes, agency priorities and hot topics for competition law compliance in jurisdictions across the Middle East, COMESA, and South Africa. Listen to this episode to get up to speed on what to know about these rapidly developing and evolving jurisdictions. With special guests: Nicolas Bremer, Partner, Bremer Law Firm and John Oxenham, Partner, Primerio Hosted by: Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods and Jeny Maier, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider

Recently, the role of lobbying in M&A has become the talk of the antitrust bar in current administrations in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions. But what about the related discipline of public affairs? Nat Wood, Managing Director of Rational 360, a strategic communications, public affairs, and crisis management firm, joins Jeny Maier and Puja Patel to discuss what's involved in crafting a public affairs strategy to support an M&A deal and how the playbook is changing in the current administration. Listen to this episode if you want to learn more about the tools of the trade for strategic communications in merger advocacy.

With special guest: Nat Wood, Managing Director, Rational 360 Hosted by: Jeny Maier, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider and Puja Patel, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

What is happening in competition enforcement in Austria and Switzerland? Lukas Cavada, Executive Director for International Affairs at Austria's Federal Competition Authority (BWB), joins Anora Wang to discuss the BWB's most significant accomplishments over the past year, key competition enforcement developments in Austria, and the evolving challenges facing competition authorities in an increasingly global marketplace. Next, Dr. Laura Melusine Baudenbacher, President of the Swiss Competition Commission (ComCo), speaks with Anora Wang on ComCo's unique structure, key recent legal changes and enforcement accomplishments, focus on labor markets, and more. Join us for a look at how Austria and Switzerland are steering competition enforcement, the key developments to watch in 2026, and what these shifts mean for businesses and practitioners. With special guests: Lukas Cavada, Executive Director for International Affairs, BWB (Austrian Federal Competition Authority) and Dr. Laura Melusine Baudenbacher, President, ComCo (Swiss Competition Commission)

Related Links:

• BWB (Austrian Federal Competition Authority)
• ComCo (Swiss Competition Commission)

Hosted by: Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

The analysis of mergers in the EU and UK is adapting to take account of a changed worldwide geo-political and trade context. But what does this mean in practice? Stuart Hudson, co-lead of Brunswick's global regulatory practice, joins Matthew Hall and James Hunsberger to discuss the European Commission's draft new EU Merger Guidelines and changes in the UK. Listen to this episode to learn more about what is in the draft EU guidelines, why the changes have been made, the UK's new approach, a prediction on EU/UK convergence or divergence and the risk of politicisation of merger control.

With special guest: Stuart Hudson, co-lead global regulatory practice, Brunswick Group Related Links:

• Stuart Hudson, "Six types of politicisation", 4 May 2026
• European Commission, Draft new EU Merger Guidelines, 30 April 2026
• UK Government, Strategic steer to the UK Competition and Markets Authority, 15 May 2025
• UK CMA, CMA launches review of its approach to merger efficiencies, 15 January 2026
• UK CMA, Merger remedies CMA87, 19 December 2025

Hosted by: Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods and James Hunsberger, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider

The OECD's Competition Division carries out the organisation's work on worldwide competition law, policy and enforcement. But what does this mean in practice? Ori Schwartz, Head of the Competition Division, joins Matthew Hall to discuss the Division's activities. Listen to this episode to learn more about the Division's recent and upcoming focus areas.

With special guest: Ori Schwartz, Head, OECD Competition Division Related Links: OECD Competition Division webpage Hosted by: Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods

What are the latest trends and developments in competition law enforcement in Ireland, Brazil, and Paraguay? Geoffrey Gray of the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), joins Lexi Michaud to discuss his agency's efforts to refine merger analysis and enhance competition in Ireland's taxi and ride-sharing sector. Brazilian CADE President Gustavo Augusto speaks with Matthew Hall about how his agency has been deploying AI to analyze market data and identify possible cartel activity. Finally, Eduardo Barros, President of Paraguay's CONACOM, talks to Alicia Downey about how his relatively young agency has been growing and successfully collaborating with other agencies. Listen to this episode to hear about how all three competition agencies are approaching competition law enforcement and advocacy in 2026.

With special guests:

• Geoffrey Gray, Commission Member, Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), Ireland
• Gustavo Augusto Freitas de Lima, President, Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), Brazil
• Eduardo Barros, President, CONACOM, Paraguay

Related Links:

• Ireland Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC)
• Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), Brazil
• Comisión Nacional de la Competencia (CONACOM), Paraguay

Hosted by: Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods, Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank, and Alicia Downey, Downey Law