International conference organised by the Central Bank of Iceland

The Central Bank of Iceland organised an international conference on the preservation of monetary and financial stability at Reykjavík’s Grand Hotel on 12 July 2019. The conference, entitled Looking back and looking forward: How do we preserve monetary and financial stability?, was split into two sessions, each with its own focus and discussion topics.

The former session focused on the experience of small European countries that have collaborated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the wake of severe difficulties stemming from the financial crisis, on governmental authorities’ actions, and on the recovery of their respective economies.

Patrick Honohan, former Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, Carlos da Silva Costa, Governor of the Bank of Portugal, Ilmārs Rimšēvičs, Governor of the Bank of Latvia, and Már Guðmundsson, Governor of the Central Bank of Iceland, gave speeches and recounted their countries’ experience. Arnór Sighvatsson, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Iceland, chaired the meeting and presided over the panel discussions after the speeches.

The latter session centred on where we stand in improving financial stability frameworks and reforming financial regulation after the Great Financial Crisis.

Esther L. George, president and chief executive of the US Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas, gave a speech on securing economic and financial stability.

Jon Nicolaisen, Deputy Governor of Norges Bank and Sigríður Benediktsdóttir, former Director of Financial Stability at the Central Bank of Iceland; lecturer at Yale University, also gave speeches. Marc Uzan, director of the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, chaired the session and presided over the panel discussions.

The agenda, the speakers’ speeches or slide presentations, and a video of the proceedings can be found here: Looking back and looking forward: How do we preserve monetary and financial stability?