OREANDA-NEWS. December 11, 2012. The President of Rietumu Bank, Alexander Pankov, took part in the European Banking Congress in Frankfurt am Main – one of the world’s most prestigious financial forums – in late November. For more than 20 years this congress has been gathering leading European politicians, entrepreneurs, bankers and scientists, reported the press-centre of Rietumu Bank.

The Steering Committee of the Frankfurt European Banking Congress includes the largest commercial banks in Germany – Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank, as well as representatives of Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt City Council and the International Bankers Forum. Admission to the congress is by personal invitation only.

The motto of this year’s forum was ‘Rethinking Finance’. Its speakers were the President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Suma Chakrabarti, Chair of the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee Sharon Bowles, Minister of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany Wolfgang Schauble, President of Deutsche Bundesbank Jens Weidmann, President of the European Investment Bank Werner Hoyer, Heads of Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bank, Raiffeisen Bank International, Sveriges Riksbank and other recognised persons from the world of finance.

The major subjects of speeches involved topical issues for modern Europe, such as changes in banking and investment operations, regulation of financial transactions, as well as monetary, economic and social policies.

As Alexander Pankov noted after attending the congress, the Frankfurt forum has allowed discussing and estimating topical for EU issues that require efficient and coordinated solutions. “Modern Europe is on the verge of important changes in financial and social policies, which have to strengthen this union and give new stimulus to its development. Some changes will be seen shortly – including the stronger centralised regulation of banking activities and unusually tough, even from the current day positions, economic reforms in some countries,” emphasised the President of Rietumu Bank.

The European Banking Congress in Frankfurt am Main has been held since 1991. It is one of the most authoritative forums highlighting urgent issues of European policy and finances. This year the venue was the famous Alte Oper Frankfurt, which is one of the main sightseeing attractions of the business capital of Germany.