More central banks are being led by women, but progress on gender parity at commercial banks is “backsliding”, according to the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum’s latest gender balance index. The index tracks the presence of men and women in senior positions across 335 financial institutions — 185 central banks, 50 commercial banks and 100 pension and sovereign wealth funds.
The number of female central bank governors in this year’s index rose to 29, up from 23 in 2023, the largest annual increase since the index’s inception 11 years ago. European central banks lead the way in gender balance, according to OMFIF, with the region achieving its highest ever index score of 50.
