The European Central Bank (ECB) will mark International Women’s Day 2026 with a dedicated event focused on closing the gender gap in financial literacy, to be held in Frankfurt am Main on Monday, 2 March.
Scheduled to run from 15:00 to 16:30 CET, the event builds on the momentum of last year’s discussions and will bring together policymakers and educators from across Europe. The aim is to review progress made since 2025 and to encourage further joint action across the Eurosystem.
According to the ECB, the session will highlight advances linked to five commitments agreed last year by the ECB and National Central Banks. These commitments centre on improving financial knowledge, addressing persistent gender disparities and strengthening cooperation between institutions.
As part of the programme, ECB President Christine Lagarde will take part in a conversation with senior-level guests. The discussion will examine the role of financial literacy from the perspective of central banks, banking supervision authorities and European institutions, with a particular focus on coordinated efforts to close the gender gap across Europe.
The five commitments include raising awareness within countries, institutions and communities, as well as establishing a central bank financial literacy network. This network is intended to promote financial education, address gender imbalances and support the sharing of best practices and resources.
Other commitments involve bringing national competent authorities into the network, using their consumer protection roles, and developing a harmonised dataset on financial literacy across Europe. This includes expanding data collection to countries where information is currently limited and creating standardised measurement tools.
The final commitment targets financial education at three key life stages: early education, taking out major loans such as mortgages or business finance, and building a pension. The ECB said these “teachable moments” are critical to improving long-term financial outcomes.
