On 2 October 2024, Latvijas Banka is organising its annual international economic conference "Financing a Better Future: The Vital Role of Finance in Achieving Sustainable Growth" at the National Library of Latvia.
Policymakers and international experts will convene at the conference to discuss the financial architecture of the euro area and Latvia, its challenges, as well as the role of the financial sector in shaping prosperity.
Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, will deliver a video opening address and Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, will make a keynote address in person, followed by a panel discussion "From Riga to Brussels to Wall Street: Examining the Differences of Financial Architecture". Moderated by Michala Marcussen (Group Chief Economist and Head of Economic and Sector Research, Société Générale), the discussion will delve into the contrasts between the financial landscapes of the euro area and the US, exploring opportunities to strengthen the financial sector in order to better drive economic growth. Panelists: Luis de Guindos, Karel Lannoo, CEO of the Centre for European Policy Studies, Tatyana Panova, representative of DG FISMA, Rym Ayadi, Professor at BAYES Business School, Member of the Centre for Banking Research, City University of London.
The second panel discussion "Banking for Prosperity: Towards Stronger and More Inclusive Growth Through Increased Integration and Competition" will address the structural differences that hinder financial integration within the euro area and equal access to finance. The discussion will be moderated by Jens Eisenschmidt, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and the Bank's Chief Europe Economist. Panelists: Mārtiņš Kazāks, Governor of Latvijas Banka, Gediminas Šimkus, Chairman of the Board of Lietuvos bankas and Member of the ECB's Governing Council, Gonzalo Gasós, Senior Director of Prudential Policy and Supervision at the European Banking Federation, as well as Claudia Buch, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank.
The conference will take place on 2 October at the National Library of Latvia, Mūkusalas iela 3, Riga. The event will begin at 10:30, with registration starting at 9:30.
Live broadcast of the conference will be available on: conference.bank.lv. Questions to international and Latvian experts can be addressed via sli.do platform, code #LBconference.
Detailed information on the conference as well as its live coverage will be available on the website at conference.bank.lv. The mass media are also invited to follow the discussions. The working language of the conference is English; simultaneous interpreting into Latvian will be provided.
For the attention of the mass media: on-site attendance requires a prior registration by 17:30 on 30 September by writing to