Practical information
Here you will find practical information for speakers participating in the Reykjavík Economic Conference 2026. Please note that the draft programme is subject to change.
Conference moderator: María Sigrún Hilmarsdóttir
08:00-08:30 Registration and coffee
08:30-08:45 Opening speech
Governor Ásgeir Jónsson
08:45-09:10 Keynote address
Governor Sanjay Malhotra, Reserve Bank of India
09:10-09:55 Beyond the Taylor Rule
Paper by: E Nakamura, V Riblier, J Steinsson
Paper presenter: Emi Nakamura, UC Berkeley
Discussant: Ricardo Reis, London School of Economics
9:55-10:15 Coffee
10:15-11:00 Inflation Expectations and Wage Price Spirals
Paper by: P Beaudry, C Hou, F Portier
Paper presenter: Frank Portier, University College of London
Discussant: Jón Steinsson, UC Berkeley
11:00-12:05 Panel: Currencies: Buffers or amplifiers of shocks?
Chair: Claire Jones, Financial Times
Deputy Governor Thórarinn G. Pétursson, Central Bank of Iceland
Governor Martin Schlegel, Swiss National Bank
Governor Fatih Karahan, The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye
12:05-12:45 Lunch
12:45-13:10 Keynote address
President John C. Williams, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
13:10- 13:55 Do Deficits Cause Inflation? A High Frequency Narrative Approach
Paper by: J Hazell, S Hobler
Paper presenter: Jonathan Hazell, London School of Economics
Discussant: Gabriel Chodrow Reich, Harvard
13:55-14:20 Keynote address
President Alberto Musalem, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
14:20-14:40 Coffee
14:40-15:25 Dollar Dominance and the Transmission of Monetary Policy
Paper by: M McLeay, S Tenereyro
Paper presenter: Michael McLeay, Bank of England
Discussant: Larry Christiano, Northwestern University
15:25-16:10 The Great Game: A Model of Geoeconomic Competition
Paper by: C Clayton, M Maggiori, J Schreger
Paper presenter: Christopher Clayton, Stanford University
Discussant: Jesus Villaverde, University of Pennsylvania
16:10-17:15 Panel: Voices of the market: The outlook and key risks
Chair: Jason Wu, assistant director overseeing the Global Markets Analysis division, IMF
Reinhard Cluse, Managing Director, Chief European Economist UBS
Beata Jvorick, Chief Economist, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Mahmood Pradhan, Non resident fellow at Bruegel and former Deputy Director, European Department IMF.
Hafsteinn Hauksson, Chief Economist, Kvika Bank
19:30 Apéritif and Dinner at La Primavera - Harpa
08:30-09:00 Coffee
09:00-09:20 Opening speech
Kristrún Frostadóttir Prime Minister of Iceland
09:20-09:45 Keynote address
Governor Andrew Bailey, Bank of England
09:45-10:30 The Optimal Macro Tariff
Paper by: O Itskhoki, D Mukhin
Paper presenter: Oleg Itskhoki, Harvard University
Discussant: Fabrizio Perri, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
10:30-10:50 Coffee
10:50-11:15 Keynote address
President Jeffrey Schmid, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
11:15-12:30 Panel: Inflation – The last mile?
Chair: Alfred Kammer, Director of the European Department , International Monetary Fund
Governor Signe Krogstrup, Danmarks Nationalbank
Governor Ida Wolden Bache, Norges Bank
Governor Dimitar Radev, Bulgarian National Bank
Deputy Governor Dániel Palotai, The Central Bank of Hungary
12:30-13:10 Lunch
13:10-13:35 Keynote address
Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman, Federal Reserve Board
13:35- 14:40 Panel: Financial stability, The big leap or a bubble?
Chair: Francine Lacqua, Bloomberg
Deputy Governor Tómas Brynjólfsson, Central Bank of Iceland
Governor Madis Müller, Bank of Estonia
Deputy General Manager Andréa M. Maechler, BIS
14:40-15:25 The Race Between Asset Supply and Asset Demand
Paper by: A Auclert, H Malmberg, M Rognlie, L Straub
Paper presenter: Ludwig Straub, Harvard University
Discussant: Alan Auerbach, UC Berkeley
15:25-15:45 Coffee
15:45-16:25 Fireside Chat/Policy Panel
Reception in front of Silfurberg
19:30 Dinner at the Central Bank of Iceland
Sightseeing program
(Note: if your flight is on Saturday it is not possible to participate in the sightseeing tour)
9:30 Departure from The Central Bank of Iceland
Drive to Snæfellsnes, approximately 2,5-hour drive from Reykjavík
Sightseeing around Snæfellsnes
23.30 Arrival at The Central Bank of Iceland
Please wear good shoes and an outdoor jacket, hat and gloves are always a good choice in Iceland.
Speaker form
We request all speakers to fill out the speaker registration form by March 13
Transport
Transport from and to the airport is organised for all speakers of the conference. A driver will wait outside the security area at the airport with a sign that says, “The Central Bank of Iceland”.
For your return, the driver will pick you up at the hotel three hours before your departure.
Flight and Hotel
The Central Bank of Iceland will cover flights (the equivalent of economy flights), transport to and from Keflavík airport, and accommodation for up to three nights at Hotel Reykjavík Saga. It is about a 9-minute walk from the hotel to Harpa, where the conference is taking place.
Please book your own flights and for reimbursement fill out this form and send with the invoice to REC@sedlabanki.is.
Conference
Venue: Harpa, Silfurberg, Level 2, Austurbakki 2, 101 Reykjavik (https://harpa.is/en/)
28 May
Conference all day
Dinner at 19:30
29 May
Conference all day
Dinner at 19:30
30 May
All day sightseeing tour of Snæfellsnes, in West Iceland
Presentations at the conference
Please send your presentations to REC@sedlabanki.is by 25 May 2026. We would prefer the presentation to be on Power Point format.
Weather
The average temperature in Reykjavik in May is 10 Celsius. The weather is mild but unpredictable, and some wind and rain might be expected. Thus, we recommend good shoes and bringing a coat to layer over business clothing. For those attending the sightseeing tour on 10 May, warm outdoor clothing will be needed.
Contacts
The following is a media policy for the Reykjavík Economic Conference held by the Central bank of Iceland and Northwestern University in Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center, Iceland, 28-29 May 2026.
- The conference is invitation only and not open to the public.
- Selected media outlets will be invited to the conference.
- The conference is under the Chatham House Rule.
- When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.
- Some keynote addresses will be streamed online and are therefore exempt from the Chatham House Rule.
- Individual speakers are free to post and publish their own talks and interventions.
- The Central bank of Iceland will publish material from speakers that have approved publication.
Members of the media staff of the Central Bank of Iceland will mediate if certain speakers of the conference are willing to provide interviews with the media.
Speakers guide
The following is an information sheet on practical information for speakers and panellists for the Reykjavík Economic Conference held by the Central Bank of Iceland and Northwestern University in Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center, Iceland, 28-29 May 2026.
The stage and podium
5 minutes prior to a speaker’s scheduled appearance on stage they should approach a stagehand on the right side of the stage to be fitted with a microphone headset.
Inside the podium there is water and a remote to control slides.
A monitor is in front of the podium that shows slides.
A digital clock is visible from the podium to keep track of time.
The moderator, will present each item on the programme and invite speakers on stage.
Keynote speeches
Some of the keynote speeches will be livestreamed. Chatham House Rules will be lifted during livestream sessions.
Q&A sessions
Q&A sessions will follow some keynote addresses. After the keynote the moderator will join the speaker on stage for the Q&A session. The moderator chairs the Q&A session and invites the audience to ask questions, depending on the Q&A format. Runners with microphones will be in the audience.
Paper presentations
The moderator will invite the presenter to present their paper on stage (25-30 minutes). The clock on stage will show 45 minutes, the total amount of time given to both presenter and discussant.
After the presentation the discussant will take the stage to discuss the paper (10-15 minutes). Afterwards the presenter takes the stage again to briefly respond to the discussions. A microphone will be in the audience if the presenter wants to invite audience questions.
Panels
The moderator will invite panelists on stage. The panel chair arranges panelist seating.
Slides
Slides will be ready to be used upon arrival.
Power Point slides are preferred to PDF.
Transition between PDF files is slower than Power Point.
Notes in PDF slides will not be visible.
Assistance
If further assistance is required conference organizers will wear pink badges for identification.