Kristalina Georgieva to headline joint OeNB and SUERF Economics Conference in Vienna

High-level event explores monetary policy challenges in a heterogenous currency area

A fireside chat with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, is one of the highlights of this year’s Economics Conference in Vienna on 18 and 19 June 2026. The event, jointly organised by the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) and SUERF – The European Money and Finance Forum, is entitled "Monetary policy trade-offs in a heterogeneous currency area". It brings together high-ranking experts to discuss the challenges of a common monetary policy in a large currency area characterised by differences. What are the trade-offs that policymakers face? And how could other policy areas contribute to better outcomes?

Monetary policy in a heterogeneous currency area like the euro area is highly complex. A single monetary policy action may have very different effects across the euro area: For example, measures to avoid below-target inflation for the currency area as a whole may perpetuate inflation or create financial imbalances in some sectors, regions or countries.

The conference will examine how heterogeneity shapes monetary policy trade-offs and highlight key aspects of the interaction between monetary, fiscal and macroprudential polices, which could complement monetary policy and lead to better results.

Practice meets academia, fireside chat with Kristalina Georgieva

The conference will kick off with a fireside chat between OeNB Governor Martin Kocher and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. After that, a number of renowned experts from institutions and academia will engage in policy-oriented discussions and analytical exchanges. The list of speakers and panellists includes Bas ter Weel, Member of the Executive Board of De Nederlandsche Bank, Mariana Kühnel, Executive Director of the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), and Michal Horváth, Chief Economist of Národná banka Slovenska.

The conference takes place at the OeNB’s headquarters at Otto Wagner Platz 3 and will be held as a hybrid event, allowing both on site and online participation. For more information on the programme and to register, please visit the OeNB’s website.

The OeNB’s Economics Conference has a long-standing tradition of bringing together renowned experts in economics and central banking. In recent years, Austria’s central bank – the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) – has organised the annual Economics Conference in cooperation with SUERF.

SUERF – The European Money and Finance Forum – is an independent, non-profit network association of central banks, supervisors, financial institutions, academic institutions and financial sector practitioners.