ECB Forum on Central Banking 2026

Opening reception and dinner

Dinner hosted by the Executive Board of the European Central Bank

Introductory speech

Christine Lagarde, President, European Central Bank

A live stream of the dinner speech will begin at 20:00. 

Welcome and introduction

Session 1
Accelerating growth in Europe: innovation versus diffusion

Chair: Boris Vujčić, Vice-President, European Central Bank 

Paper: A joined-up productivity strategy for Europe: integrating investment, innovation and diffusion

Author: Bart Van Ark, Professor, University of Manchester

Discussant: Monika Schnitzer, Professor, University of Munich

Session 2
Regulatory cycles, stability risks and growth opportunities

Chair: Frank Elderson, Member of the Executive Board and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board, European Central Bank

Paper: Macroprudential regulation and systemic risk

Author: Mariassunta Giannetti, Professor, Stockholm School of Economics

Discussant: Enrico Perotti, Professor, University of Amsterdam

Coffee break and poster session for the Young Economist Prize

Young Economist Prize

Introduction of the finalists – speed presentations on the stage

Panel 1
Artificial intelligence and financial stability

Chair: Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank

• Tobias Adrian, Financial Counsellor and Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department, International Monetary Fund
• Sarah Breeden, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability, Bank of England
• Itay Goldstein, Professor, University of Pennsylvania
• Torsten Slok, Chief Economist, Apollo Global Management

Lunch

A conversation about artificial intelligence

• Aaron Chatterji, Chief Economist, OpenAI, and Professor, Duke University

• Philip R. Lane, Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank

End of day 1

Informal dinner hosted by the Executive Board of the European Central Bank

Poster session for the Young Economist Prize
(stands in the foyer)

Welcome and introduction

Session 3
Migration: implications for productivity and growth in Europe

Chair: Boris Vujčić, Vice-President, European Central Bank 

Paper: The impact of immigration on employment, investments and productivity across OECD countries

Author: Giovanni Peri, Professor, University of California, Davis

Discussant: Hillel Rapoport, Professor, Paris School of Economics

Session 4
Tokenisation: challenges and opportunities when money, payments and financial transactions become digital

Chair: Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank

Paper: Tokenomics and blockchain fragmentation

Author: Hyun Song Shin, Economic Adviser and Head of the Monetary and Economic Department, Bank for International Settlements

Discussant: Catherine Casamatta, Toulouse School of Economics

Coffee break

Panel 2
Europe’s role in the new global trade landscape

Chair: Philip R. Lane, Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank

• Laura Alfaro Maykall, Chief Economist and Economic Counselor, Inter-American Development Bank
• Sabine Weyand, Director General, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, European Commission
• Marion Jansen, Director of the Trade and Agriculture Directorate, OECD
• Ralph Ossa, Professor, University of Zurich

Lunch

Policy panel

• Andrew Bailey, Governor, Bank of England
• Christine Lagarde, President, European Central Bank
• Tiff Macklem, Governor, Bank of Canada 

Moderator: Sarah Eisen, Anchor, CNBC

Award ceremony for the Young Economist Prize

Closing remarks

Christine Lagarde, President, European Central Bank

Group photo (all participants)

Reception and dinner hosted by the Banco de Portugal
The bus to the dinner venue departs at 18:00.