​​​​​​​​

H.E. Mr. Ayman Al-Sayari, Governor of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), welcomed H.E. Ms. Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), at SAMA's headquarters in Riyadh on Thursday, February 1, 2024. The two sides discussed the recent developments in central banking and the outlook for the global economy.

Several events were organized on the sidelines of the visit including a high-level panel discussion titled "Interconnectedness and Increasing Capital Flow" with participation form Their Excellencies Mr. Ayman Al-Sayari, Governor of SAMA and Ms. Christine Lagarde, President of ECB.

The panel discussions focused on the macro-financial vulnerabilities and risks stemming from increased interconnectedness; regulatory and supervisory efforts to address the potential for excessive systemic risk arising from the complexity of this growing interconnection; and management of trade-offs between the openness of the financial system while limiting associated risks.

In addition, a seminar on "Women's Empowerment within Central Banks" was conducted and featured speeches by SAMA's governor and the ECB's president and was moderated by Ms. Sheila Alrowaily, a member of SAMA's board of directors.

The seminar focused on the role of central banks in empowering women in the financial sector, highlighting the power of partnering with stakeholders to advance female leadership across the entire financial sector. The seminar also discussed the measures to ensure fairness and transparency for women in the work environment.​