Professor Rosa Lastra to speak at the IMF Legal Department 80-Year Anniversary

17 September 2026

“From Bretton Woods to the Digital Age: The IMF Legal Department at 80,” to be held on September 21–22, 2026, at IMF Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

This conference marks an important milestone not only for the Legal Department, but also for the IMF’s rules-based legal architecture that has supported international monetary cooperation over eight decades. Today’s international monetary system is confronting multiple challenges, including a shifting geopolitical landscape, rising debt vulnerabilities, rapid technological change, and heightened demands on governance, integrity, and institutions. Against this backdrop, the conference will bring together policymakers, legal practitioners, academics, and other stakeholders for a forward-looking dialogue on how legal frameworks can both enable innovation and anchor stability.

The first day of the conference, which will be livestreamed, will feature remarks by IMF Management and sessions covering topics such as the impact of technology on monetary and financial law, anti-corruption and AML/CFT, and sovereign debt restructuring and transparency. The second day of the conference, which is by invitation only, aims to provide deeper technical engagement in areas such as central bank governance, internal dispute resolution, insolvency law reform, and the use of AI. 

Professor Rosa Lastra has been invited to speak in the session on  Central Bank Law: An Anchor for Monetary and Financial Stability which highlights how robust central bank law—anchored by strong central bank autonomy and governance—serves as a foundation for monetary and financial stability, drawing on a central bank law reform project supported by the IMF Legal Department in the context of an IMF-supported program.

View the full program for the event.