On 18 November 2025 the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) and Commerzbank AG hosted a high-level symposium in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, focusing on the growing hybrid threat environment and its implications for financial stability.
The event brought together close to 50 participants for a scenario-based discussion on a potential disturbance to European financial systems. The scenario focused on an imaginary disinformation campaign targeting the European finance sector, with possible global repercussions. The aim was to assess resilience and preparedness in the financial sector against disinformation undermining trust in payment systems and services, with a particular focus on coordination and communication at the European level.
The keynote speakers included Guntram Wolff, Professor at Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Senior Fellow at Bruegel; Anneli Tuominen, Member of the Supervisory Board of the Single Supervisory Mechanism, ECB; and Bernd Spalt, Chief Risk Officer and Member of the Board of Managing Directors, Commerzbank AG.
“It’s clear that our society’s economic domain is not immune to hybrid attacks. For example, as banks’ business model relies heavily on trust, disinformation and cyberattacks pose a significant threat to the financial sector at large,” said Jukka Savolainen, Director of the Community of Interest on Vulnerabilities and Resilience at Hybrid CoE.
“It’s vital to raise awareness and share experiences of hybrid threats and countermeasures in the economic sector. We were pleased to collaborate with Commerzbank to bring together such a diverse group of experts and practitioners to exchange insights.”
“Clearly, the financial system and its specificities must be taken into consideration when we are discussing a broader security agenda for countering hybrid threats. To strengthen the dialogue between the public and private sectors on this critical issue, we were delighted to host such a distinguished group of experts from around the globe,” said Bernd Spalt, Chief Risk Officer and Member of the Board of Managing Directors at Commerzbank.
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Speech by Anneli Tuominen, Member of the Supervisory Board of the ECB, at the conference “The Current Hybrid Threat Environment and Financial Stability”, jointly organised by Commerzbank and the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.
Work of Hybrid CoE’s Community of Interest on Vulnerabilities and Resilience
