Latest keynote The Case for Mental Time Travel








Latest keynote
The Case for Mental TimeTravel








Latest keynote The Case for Mental Time Travel




Arne Maes

Economist, author, keynote speaker, forward thinker.

I’ve been the in-house expert on the Belgian economy at BNP Paribas Fortis since 2015. I steer the bank’s macroeconomic forecasts and have won several international awards for their accuracy. As a pioneer in real-time banking-data analysis, I deliver frequent keynotes on Belgium’s outlook, long-term scenarios, and the tech trends reshaping our world.
In 2023 I published “Gold Rush: The ABC...G of the Digital Economy,” distilling lessons from a handfull of young Flemish entrepreneurs. My second book, “2034, a Novel: Mental Time Travel for Thinkers & Doers” (2025), draws on conversations with more than a hundred academics, entrepreneurs, policymakers and other "forward thinkers", imagining what Belgium can and - more importantly - should look like in 2034. It's a clear invitation to look beyond today’s turbulence and start building the future...today.

How I look at the future

I just released "2034, A Novel: Mental Time Travel for Thinkers and Doers", after having published "Goldrush: The ABC...G of the Digital Economy" in 2023.

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From plain-language economic outlooks for broad audiences, over AI briefings for banking professionals, to future scenarios for boardrooms, I bring the insights and the story.

I host BEL34, a conversation series where academics, entrepreneurs and policymakers share their outlook and their hopes for Belgium in 2034

I regularly publish novel insights into the Belgian economy, the (potential) impact of AI and other current topics, both as blogposts and contributions to various outlets.