Frankfurt European Banking Congress
The Frankfurt European Banking Congress, EBC for short, is a one-day congress of bankers, central bankers and politicians at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt am Main. It describes itself as one of Europe's most prestigious congresses in banking and finance and as a forum for open and forward-oriented discussion of European issues. By tradition it meets on the penultimate Friday in November and closes the Euro Finance Week.
The 36th EBC takes place on Friday, November 20, 2026 under the theme "Europe in Action: Technology, Energy, Defence". Christian Sewing, chief executive of Deutsche Bank, chairs the 2026 congress.
Hosts and organizer
The EBC started in 1991. From 1992 to 2008 Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank and the City of Frankfurt hosted it, and Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank took turns in the chair until 2015. Since 2016 the hosts are BNP Paribas, Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank, joined by HSBC in 2019, together with the City of Frankfurt am Main. A steering committee chooses the topics and speakers. The dfv Euro Finance Group is responsible for the organization and execution of the congress, as the EBC's information page states.
The 2026 program
The 2026 program, dated September 2026, opens with Frankfurt's Lord Mayor Mike Josef and a presidential address by ECB President Christine Lagarde. The first panel takes the banking perspective with senior executives of Commerzbank, BNP Paribas, HSBC and Deutsche Bank. The second takes the business perspective, with the CFO of Siemens Energy, the chief executive of IQM Quantum Computers, the head of cabinet of EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and the economist Beatrice Weder di Mauro.
In the afternoon Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel speaks on the central banking perspective, Lithuania's finance minister on a banking sector fit for the future, and federal finance minister Lars Klingbeil gives the closing keynote. Finance Loop follows quantum computing in banking on quantum computing in Frankfurt finance.
Admission
Admission is personal and by invitation only, and the number of participants is limited. Guests ask for an invitation through the congress site's request form. The other days of the week, such as the EURO FINANCE Tech Day, take registration requests on the dfv ticket site instead.
Upcoming finance events in Frankfurt
When is the Frankfurt European Banking Congress 2026?
On Friday, November 20, 2026, the last day of the Euro Finance Week 2026.
Where does the EBC take place?
At the Alte Oper Frankfurt on Opernplatz.
Who chairs the EBC 2026?
Christian Sewing, chief executive of Deutsche Bank.
Frankfurt European Banking Congress and Finance Loop
Finance Loop is the meeting place in Frankfurt for the technology side of banking, from AI and cloud to payments and digital assets, with meetups and panels in its event calendar. Digital banking in Frankfurt and Frankfurt finance describe the banks and institutions behind the congress.
Finance Loop members join its events through a membership. Partners can reach the same people by sponsoring a meetup, by hosting an event or through the partner program.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the adoption of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, digital payments, cloud and blockchain solutions. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.