BME celebrates International Women’s Day with a Ring the Bell for Gender Equality

Left to right: Beatriz Alonso-Majagranzas and Javier Hernani (BME), Cristina Sánchez (UN Global Compact Spain) and Monserrat Martínez Parera (CNMV).

• More than 100 stock exchanges around the world join the initiative, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year

BME, who operates the Spanish stock exchange, commemorates International Women's Day with an Honorary Bell Ringing for Gender Equality. The event is part of the Ring the Bell for Gender Equality initiative promoted by the World Federation of Exchanges and Sustainable Stock Exchanges together with Global Compact, UN Woman and IFC. This is the seventh consecutive time that BME has joined this initiative, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary. It aims to promote gender equality and empowerment of women in their work environment, the financial community, and to raise awareness of the benefits of doing so.

Ring the Bell For Gender Equality is celebrated in more than a hundred financial centers around the world, including the Zurich Stock Exchange, managed by SIX Group, which owns BME.

Cristina Sánchez, executive director of the United Nations Global Compact Spain, and Monserrat Martínez-Parera, vice-president of the CNMV, took part in the ringing of the bell. They were accompanied by Javier Hernani, CEO of BME, and Beatriz Alonso-Majagranzas, Director of Markets.

Cristina Sánchez highlighted that 83% of the IBEX 35® has a gender equality policy and 91% have set targets to increase the representation of women in the workforce and in decision-making bodies. "However, there is still much to be done. Investing in women is an imperative for building fair societies," she said.

For Monserrat Martínez Parera, the presence of women in the private sector has improved and today listed companies are close to the CNMV's Good Governance Code recommendation of 40%, although less than 10% reach executive positions. "The Spanish business reality is broad and the measures cannot be the same for everyone, but with a good diagnosis and good incentives we will achieve a more inclusive society that favors progress for everyone", she concluded.

"The stock exchange plays a dual role in promoting gender equality," said Javier Hernani. "On the one hand, as a company, and with respect to our stakeholders. On the other, as a reference and mirror in which to look, since listed companies are those that meet the best governance standards." Beatriz Alonso-Majagranzas pointed out that the development of stock market indices, together with ESG bonds, is one of the ways in which BME promotes the Sustainable Development Goals, and added: "All listed companies want to be part of the IBEX® Gender Equality and this concern is one more traction to improve the ratios of gender representation in their main decision-making bodies.

BME has been part of the United Nations Global Compact since 2011 and of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative, which seeks to promote sustainable investment through the Sustainable Development Goals established by the UN for the 2030 Agenda, since 2015.

You can download the video at the following link.