Ms Christina Papaconstantinou, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Greece, attended the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group
19/10/2026 - Press Releases
Deputy Governor of the Bank of Greece Ms Christina Papaconstantinou participated in the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG), which took place from 12 to 18 October 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ms Papaconstantinou attended the Annual Meetings Plenary with addresses by the IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and the WBG President Ajay Banga. She participated in the official meetings of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) and in discussions between senior officials and other central bank delegates on international economic developments and prospects.
She also participated in a roundtable on “Monetary Policy in a Fragmented Global Economy” organised by the central banks of Sweden, Denmark and Finland (Sveriges Riksbank, Danmarks Nationalbank, Suomen Pankki/Finlands Bank). The discussion focused on the challenges for monetary policy due to geopolitical tensions, technological disruptions, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and recurring supply-side shocks. In her intervention, Ms Papaconstantinou commented on the AI-related challenges for the Greek labour market, employee skills and adaptability.
Ms Papaconstantinou took part in a panel on “Future of Financial Stability Assessments: Strengthening Agility, Focus, and Impact” together with Michaela Erbenova, Deputy Director at the Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the IMF. The discussion emphasised the positive assessment of the Greek Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) of 2026, which confirmed the resilience and significant progress of the Greek banking sector, including the major restructuring of the Less Significant Institutions (LSI) sector, and the effective supervision conducted by the Bank of Greece. The event, which was broadcast live on the official Annual Meetings website, showcased the latest review of the FSAP, the IMF’s flagship exercise for assessing risks to financial stability and identifying useful regulatory and supervisory reforms in its members. The Deputy Governor exchanged views with Ms Erbenova on the benefits for countries from participating in FSAPs, drawing upon the experience gained from Greece’s recent conclusion of the exercise. The Bank of Greece has already taken steps within its mandate to address FSAP key recommendations, with a view to further improving its own supervisory framework. The next exercise for Greece will be conducted in ten years.
Ms Papaconstantinou said, “The independent and thorough IMF assessment was well worth the effort, as the outcome of the exercise reinforces trust in the Greek banking sector and reinvigorates reform momentum to further strengthen financial resilience.”
With respect to the conduct of the exercise, she added, “Following the sovereign debt crisis and a period of painful reforms, we are now in a place with the IMF where we enjoy mutual respect and trust and where the considerable efforts made by the Greek authorities have restored the credibility of the Greek economy and the Greek financial system”.
During the Meetings, Ms Papaconstantinou met with representatives from central banks, supervisory authorities and the private sector, with whom she engaged in discussions about the international economic and market developments, focusing in particular on the role of AI as both accelerator of growth and potential threat to financial stability.
A clear message coming out of the Meetings was that, despite the global economy’s resilience, authorities should remain committed to maintaining macroeconomic and financial stability through the monitoring of risks and appropriate reform efforts addressing individual countries’ vulnerabilities.