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The business of money—how it’s managed, transferred, exchanged, invested or regulated—is moving faster, compelling leaders to respond to powerful market forces with more agility than ever.
THE MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN BANKING ™ is a community that captures the changing dynamics of leadership, recognizes outstanding individual performances that are redefining what’s possible, and creates a professional platform for the emergence of new leaders in the swiftly evolving financial industry.
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The NEXT Awards recognize the “rising star” professional achievements of women, aged 40 and under, who are rapidly ascending and posting notable performances in the businesses and divisions they are helping to shape.
The conference is a two-day, high-level gathering where the financial industry’s most influential executives and innovators come together to share strategies, exchange insights, and strengthen leadership capabilities. Past and present honorees from American Banker’s iconic rankings join other top voices to deliver actionable perspectives that inspire progress and sharpen competitive advantage.
The Most Powerful Women in Banking & Finance
Call for Most Powerful Women in Banking 2026 Nominations
It’s that time of year! American Banker’s 2026 call for The Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance nominations is now open.
As a refresher: We use quantifiable and qualitative metrics to score each eligible candidate for the rankings, including size and scope of role; innovation and/or product development; P&L or functional area performance data; and influence within her institution, the industry, communities served and government or regulatory initiatives.
New this year: The Most Powerful Women in Banking NEXT nominations no longer require a business unit or group leader or manager to nominate an individual. Women are encouraged to submit their own nomination for consideration in the ranking.
Nomination forms for the various rankings can be accessed below:
The Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance 2026
The Most Powerful Women in Banking’s Top Teams 2026
The Most Powerful Women in Banking NEXT 2026
The deadline to submit nominations is April 15, 2026, by 5 pm ET.
The Most Powerful Women in Banking
The Most Powerful Women in Finance
The Most Powerful Women to Watch
The Most Powerful Women in Banking's Top Teams
The Most Powerful Women in Banking NEXT
The Most Powerful Women in Banking
The Most Powerful Women in Finance
The Most Powerful Women to Watch
The Most Powerful Women in Banking NEXT
The Most Powerful Women in Banking
The Most Powerful Women in Finance
The Most Powerful Women to Watch
The Most Powerful Women in Banking NEXT
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What’s Happening in the Banking and Finance Community
Citi shows progress, but still needs to impress regulators
The global bank reported solid second-quarter results as executives maintain confidence in the bank's ability to achieve a return on tangible common equity of 10-11% next year. But an analyst said Citi's progress on reducing expenses will hinge on its ability to get freed from various enforcement actions.
U.S. Bancorp CEO Andy Cecere to retire, Gunjan Kedia named successor
Kedia is scheduled to become the first woman to run the nation's seventh-largest bank by asset size. Some analysts expressed surprise over the timing of the announcement.
First Horizon goes it alone — together
When TD Bank's $13 billion acquisition fell through, First Horizon was forced to quickly come up with a plan. Here's how the bank's culture of sharing ideas and inclusion helped.