Explore the Eurosystem’s strategy for the future of wholesale central bank money and how it lays the foundation for a vibrant and future-oriented European digital asset ecosystem. Learn more about how tokenised Euro central bank liquidity can be used by the market for settling tokenised assets on market distributed ledger technology (DLT) platforms.
#ECBFocusSession #MarketInfrastructure
Did you know that European banking is still dominated by men? This is not only unfair to women, but also harmful to banks. Diverse leadership leads to better decision-making and greater success 👩🏿👱🏽♀️👩🏻🦱👩🏼🦲👩🏽🦰👩🏾🦳👩🏼🦱👩🏿🦰
Find out what’s being done to promote gender diversity and strengthen Europe’s banking sector.
Find out more about gender diversity in banks on the ECB’s other channels
Diversity at the top makes banks better: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2023/html/ecb.blog.230509~5e2a550f74.en.html
Disclaimer The views expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect those of the ECB. The information presented is:
• of a general nature and not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity;
• sometimes linked to external websites over which the ECB has no control and for which the ECB assumes no responsibility;
• not intended to constitute professional or legal advice.
ECB President Christine Lagarde explains the Governing Council’s monetary policy decisions and will answer questions from journalists at the Governing Council press conference to be held on Thursday, 5 February 2026 at 14:45 CEST in Frankfurt am Main.
The world around us is changing – geopolitical tensions , AI and climate change can all pose risks to banks.
So how can banks best manage their risks? What are supervisors focusing on in the coming year? And what measures are they taking to make supervision less complex?
Our host Stefania Secola speaks to Supervisory Board Chair Claudia Buch to find out.
The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank.
Recorded on 4 February 2026 and published on 17 February 2026.
In this episode:
00:57 How safe is your bank?
How are euro area banks doing? How does the ECB – together with national supervisors – examine their health?
03:51 What risks should banks be focusing on?
How is the external environment in which banks operate changing? How can risks from geopolitical uncertainty, digitalisation and climate change feed through to banks?
06:02 How is supervision evolving?
In a changing external environment, we need new strategies to properly manage new risks. How is European supervision adapting to become more efficient, effective and risk-focused?
08:57 Why is supervision so complex?
Modern banks are complex, operating across borders and with different business models. How can we reduce undue complexity in supervision?
10:54 Let’s talk about competitiveness
Do regulation and supervision hinder the competitiveness of euro area banks? What does the banking sector need to do to stay competitive, and how can European banking supervision help?
George Ioannou outlines how Cyprus’s banks rebuilt resilience after the 2013 crisis. He touches on recent cross border M&A and shares key lessons from a decade within European banking supervision.
