Bank for International Settlements (BIS) to hold inaugural BIS Innovation Summit on 22-25 March

Press release  | 
25 February 2021

  • Inaugural BIS Innovation Summit to run 22–25 March, catering for audiences in Asia-Pacific, African, American and European time zones
  • Central bankers, policymakers, business leaders and academics to discuss: "How can central banks innovate in the digital age?"
  • Winners of the global ISO 20022 Hackathon to be announced

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) will hold the inaugural BIS Innovation Summit from 22 to 25 March, where central bankers, policymakers, business leaders and academics will discuss: "How can central banks innovate in the digital age?"

Taking place as a virtual event to cater for audiences in Asia-Pacific, African, American and European time zones, and organised by the BIS Innovation Hub, it will kick off with a live discussion between Jerome Powell, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Jens Weidmann, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, and Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS.

Keynote speakers also include:

  • Christine Lagarde, President, European Central Bank
  • John A Rolle, Governor, Central Bank of the Bahamas
  • Sir Jon Cunliffe, Deputy Governor, Bank of England
  • Cecilia Skingsley, Deputy Governor, Sveriges Riksbank
  • Mark Carney, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance
  • Brad Smith, President, Microsoft

Participants will shed light on key issues around cross-border and retail payments, central bank digital currencies, banking and the new digital ecosystem, decentralised finance, data analytics, AI and cloud technologies as well as cultural and organisational changes that may be needed within central banks to meet the challenges of this digital age. 

The BIS Innovation Hub Centres in Hong Kong, Switzerland and Singapore will showcase key projects as part of their work to explore the development of central bank public goods. The winners of the global ISO 20022 Hackathon will also be announced at the event.

The event is free to attend and open to the media and the public. Register here.