Press conference of Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum 2026

More than 400 prominent guests from over 40 countries and regions are expected to attend Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum 2026, scheduled to take place in Beijing from October 19 to 22, according to information released at a press conference on Monday.

Under the theme "Openness, Cooperation, Inclusiveness: Jointly Building a New Ecology for Global Financial Development," the four-day event will bring together financial policymakers, industry leaders and experts to discuss global economic developments, financial regulation and international cooperation.

Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People's Bank of China (PBC), Ding Xiangqun, head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), and Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), will attend the opening ceremony and deliver keynote speeches, according to media reports.

The conference will feature 21 sessions across its main and parallel forums, along with three specialized conferences focusing on financial technology, insurance and investment, according to the organizers.

The main forum will comprise seven sessions, including the opening and closing ceremonies, providing a platform for authoritative announcements and interpretations of domestic and international economic developments as well as financial regulatory policies and measures.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for the afternoon of October 19 and will be chaired by Beijing Mayor Yin Yong. Yin Li, secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee, will deliver an address, followed by keynote speeches from senior officials representing the five national co-organizers. A senior official from the International Monetary Fund is also expected to deliver a video address.

The closing ceremony, scheduled for the afternoon of October 22, will focus on "Global Financial Cooperation: Growth Drivers and Coordinated Governance," with representatives from international organizations, major domestic and overseas financial institutions, and academic circles invited to share their perspectives.

The main forum sessions, organized by the PBC, the NFRA, the CSRC, the Xinhua News Agency and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, will explore a range of topics, including economic governance, financial innovation and the role of central banks amid advances in artificial intelligence (AI).

Parallel forum discussions will center on two major areas: high-level opening-up of the financial sector and financial support for high-quality economic development.

Meanwhile, the specialized conferences will further expand the event's coverage of key financial sectors.

Moreover, the financial technology conference will focus on the development of financial technology in the emerging intelligent economy, covering frontier topics such as blockchain, AI and digital and intelligent finance.

The conference will also continue to host a financial technology application scenario competition, while planned announcements include the branding of the central bank's Digital Currency Electronic Payment System, according to the organizers.

Global Times