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Women in Banking in Central Europe

Financial History Conference

Event type

two-day conference

Date

11–12 November 2026

Venue

Národná banka Slovenska
Congress Hall
Imricha Karvaša 1
Bratislava

Agenda

Programme Women in Banking in Central Europe

588.63 kB
Registration

Registration Form

Registration is open until 6 November (end of the day).

Contact

ekonomickevzdelavanie@nbs.sk

Partners
O národnej banke, Women in Banking in Central Europe
O národnej banke, Women in Banking in Central Europe
O národnej banke, Women in Banking in Central Europe

National bank of Slovakia in cooperation with the European Association for Banking and Financial History (EABH), the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava and Živena, Slovak Women’s Association, is organizing a conference entitled “Women in Banking in Central Europe”, which will take place on 11–12 November 2026 in the Congress Hall of the National Bank of Slovakia in Bratislava.

The conference will focus on the historical and legal development of the role of women in banking from the mid-19th century to the present. Leading experts from across Central Europe will address topics such as overcoming gender barriers, the contributions of pioneering figures, the evolution of women’s participation in banking and central banking, and issues related to equal pay and career progression.

The financial sector is witnessing a gradual but important shift, with more women than ever before serving as central bank governors and commercial bank presidents. Yet women remain underrepresented in the highest levels of banking leadership, highlighting the continued need for progress toward gender equality. A growing body of research shows that diverse leadership teams can foster broader perspectives, stronger governance, and more effective decision-making, contributing to both institutional performance and economic resilience.

This conference seeks to provide a platform for dialogue, inspiration, and collaboration among leaders, experts, and future generations. Together, we can help shape a more representative future for the financial sector.

Keynote speaker

Elena Kohútiková, former Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia

Livestream
Agenda
  • Wednesday, 11 November
    8:30–9:00
    Registration
    9:00–9:30
    Opening Addresses

    Reiner Martin, Executive Director, National Bank of Slovakia
    Júlia Čillíková, Executive Director, National Bank of Slovakia
    Adam Hudek, Deputy Director, Institute of History of Slovak Academy of Science
    Carmen Hofmann, Secretary General, The European Association for Banking and Financial History
    Radka Semancová, Secretary General, Živena, Slovak Women’s Association

    9:30–10:30
    Keynote speech

    Elena Kohútiková, former Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia

    Glass ceiling or sticky floor? Breaking barriers, building the future
    10:30–11:00
    Coffee Break
    11:00–12:30
    Block I
    Historical evolution of women participation in the labour force in general

    Moderator: Gabriela Dudeková Kováčová, Institute of History of Slovak Academy of Science

    Birgit Niessner, Austrian Society for Bank Research

    Shifting roles: Women and Work in Central Europe and Across Centuries

    Jaroslava Roguľová, Institute of History of Slovak Academy of Science

    Women in the labour market in Slovakia from 1918 to 1948

    Libuše Heczková, Charles University

    Women in professions in Czechoslovakia until 1939 regarding the profession of clerks

    Q&A / Discussion

    12:30–15:30
    Lunch
    13:30–15:30
    Block II
    The historical evolution of women participation in the commercial banks

    Moderator: Andrej Svorenčík, University of Barcelona

    Mátyás Erdélyi, University of Vienna

    Women Bank Clerks in the Late Habsburg Monarchy (1900–1914)

    Gabriela Dudeková Kováčová, Institute of History of Slovak Academy of Science

    Women in Financial Institutions in Slovakia at the Turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries: Working Conditions, Gendered Biases, and Early Pioneers

    Q&A / Discussion

    14:30–14:50
    Coffee Break
    13:30–15:30
    Block II
    The historical evolution of women participation in the commercial banks (continued)

    Eduard Kubů – Jiří Šouša, Charles University

    The role of a banker’s wife at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century

    Ľudovít Hallon, Institute of History of Slovak Academy of Science

    Women in Commercial Banking in Slovakia 1918–1948
    15:30–15:50
    Discussion, conclusion of the first day’s proceedings
    16:00–17:00
    Živena, Accompanying program
  • Thursday, 12 November
    09:00–10:30
    Block III
    The historical evolution of women participation in the central banks

    Moderator: Carmen Hofmann, The European Association for Banking and Financial History

    Claudia Köpf, Oesterreichische Nationalbank

    From compliant to combative: women’s long road to equality in the Austrian central bank

    Lenka Vrchotová, Czech National Bank

    Female employees in central bank in the Czechoslovakia in 1919–1945

    František Chudják, National bank of Slovakia

    Smiling Slovakia? Women in the Central Banking of Slovakia in the Shadow of Two Totalitarianisms 1939–1989

    Q&A / Discussion

    10:30–11:00
    Coffee Break
    13:30–15:30
    Block IV
    Being a woman in finance now: progress, barriers, and solutions

    Moderator: Stefania Paredes Fuentes, National Bank of Slovakia

    Andrea Weber – Elisabeth Wurm, Central European University

    The signal effect of diversity in leadership. Evidence from two gender quota policies in Austria

    Beáta Nagy, Corvinus University of Budapest

    Women in the financial sector in Central and Eastern Europe: past and present trends

    Mária Valachyová, Slovenská sporiteľňa

    How the commercial bank tackles the female underrepresentation in leadership and DEI as such – case of Slovenská sporiteľňa

    Q&A / Discussion

    12:30–13:30
    Lunch