Innsbruck meets Frankfurt - The “Deutsche Freundeskreis der Innsbrucker Universitäten” invited by the Deutsche Bundesbank in Frankfurt.

Whereas in previous years the event had already welcomed illustrious names such as the Austrian government members Alexander Schallenberg, Sebastian Kurz, Reinhold Mitterlehner, Karlheinz Töchterle, Hans Jörg Schelling or Governor Günther Platter, this year Burkhard Balz, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank invited to Frankfurt and provided insight into the exciting topic "Digital Euro - Foundation for the Digital Future of Europe?".

Since September 2018, Burkhard Balz has been Head of Payments and Settlement Systems on the Bundesbank's Executive Board and considers this "currently the most exciting and dynamic area in the field of monetary and currency policy." He is also responsible for the areas of economic education, higher education and international central bank dialogue, and is thus in charge of the Bundesbank's external presence worldwide.

The topic addressed was comprehensively illuminated and offered deep insight into the globally interconnected world of financial and payment systems. The lively discussion was competently chaired and moderated by Professor Nils Stieglitz, President of the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

DFK Chairman Andreas Altmann is convinced that the mission of the German Circle of Friends has been fulfilled: to bring together the University of Innsbruck, the Medical University of Innsbruck and MCI | The Entrepreneurial University® with renowned personalities, companies and institutions from the fields of science, business and society, to promote neighborly dialog and encounter, and to promote scientific excellence and outstanding academic achievement.