📢 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲

Yesterday at the Ambassade de France en Allemagne 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧, we held a rich and forward‑looking discussion on 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲.
The conversation confirmed one key message: 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 “𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭” 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜. It is a 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠‑𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.
Our panelists highlighted that women’s economic vulnerability continues to be shaped by 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬; from education gaps and career interruptions to unequal access to finance, advice, and investment opportunities. Addressing this requires 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, not individual responsibility alone.
𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐇.𝐄. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 for hosting us at the Embassy and for his strong and visible 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.
A special thank you to our distinguished panelists for their insights and engagement:
𝐒𝐢𝐛𝐲𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐊𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩, Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, for demonstrating how 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬.
Sylvie Goulard, former Minister and Vice‑President of the Banque de France, for reminding us that 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨‑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞.
Ruth von Oppen, Bundesverband deutscher Banken, for addressing 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 and the responsibility of financial institutions to adapt products and advice.
Isabelle Hägewald, Editor‑in‑Chief of Mein Geld, for highlighting the role of 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 in normalising women as investors and financial decision‑makers.
Barbara Gessler, EU Representation to Germany, for framing women’s economic security as a 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞.
What emerged clearly is a 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
✅ Strengthen financial literacy across education, work, and family life
✅ Improve inclusive access to finance and trusted advice
✅ Foster stronger cooperation across sectors
✅ Treat women’s economic security as a 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
On behalf of Feminin Pluriel Berlin, my sincere thanks to all speakers and participants.

Strongly aligned with the 𝐄𝐂𝐁’𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲. As Christine Lagarde reminded us this year, 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 and closing this gap is essential for 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.
Now is the time to 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and continue the conversation beyond the room.