To celebrate International Women’s Day 2020 (Sunday, March 8), a collaboration across 80 exchanges around the world plan to ring opening or closing bells for the sixth consecutive year.
The events – which start this Monday, March 2, and will last for two weeks – are a partnership between IFC, Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, UN Global Compact, UN Women, the World Federation of Exchanges and Women in ETFs, to raise awareness about the business case for women’s economic empowerment, and the opportunities for the private sector to advance gender equality and sustainable development.
In the U.S., the bell ringings will take place on March 2 at Nasdaq, March 5 at NYSE, and March 9 at CBOE and IEX.
ETF Trends CEO Tom Lydon spoke with Deborah Fuhr, co-founder of ETFGI, who notes, “We added Columbia and Luxembourg to the numbers of exchanges. Additionally, if there weren’t a few canceled bell-ringings because of the Coronavirus in Asia, there would be a new record.”
I Am Generation Equality
The leadership of Women in ETFs notes: “The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day – I am Generation Equality – celebrates the progress that has been made all around the world in advancing gender equality. The annual Bell Ringing events are the most global initiative that WE does each year offering a unique opportunity to welcome WE leadership teams, members and corporate sponsors to hear speakers presenting the business case for diversity and women’s economic empowerment. Members of Women in ETFs will be involved in bell ringing events at exchanges in the United States, Canada, EMEA and in Asia Pacific. There is further to go before we achieve gender equality, but today marks the start of a month of important awareness and work to continue to build towards that important goal.”
Women in ETFs is the first women’s group for the ETF industry. Founded in January 2014, WE is an organization that brings together over 5,600 members, including women and men, in chapters in major financial centers across the United States, Canada, EMEA and Asia Pacific to 1) CONNECT: Create opportunities for professional advancement of women by expanding connections among women and men in the ETF industry; 2) SUPPORT: Offer guidance for the current and next generation of women in ETFs and 3) INSPIRE: WE achieves this by organizing events at our chapters globally that support our goals of education, networking, philanthropy, and idea-sharing across the industry and beyond.
For more information about Women in ETFs, visit: www.womeninetfs.com.