When Progress Isn't Enough: OMFIF's 2026 Gender Balance Index
The 13th edition of OMFIF's Gender Balance Index (GBI) offers a measured but sobering assessment of where the financial sector stands on gender parity in leadership and how far it still has to go.
Drawing on data from more than 300 institutions and over 6,000 individuals across central banks, commercial banks, pension funds and sovereign funds, the 2026 report finds that women now hold 19% of top leadership roles - the highest level recorded since the index began. The average GBI score rose to 44 from 42 in 2025, and roughly half of all institutions improved their scores.
Progress, however, is uneven. Central banks and sovereign funds drove much of the improvement, while pension funds saw a decline and commercial banks recorded no change. Women represent 33% of senior roles overall, but their progression to the very top remains persistently limited - a gap the report frames as the "promotion problem." To put the pace of change in perspective: at the current rate, full gender parity across the index is still an estimated 22 years away.
To better capture this dynamic, the 2026 edition introduces the glass ceiling ratio - a metric that quantifies how sharply women's representation narrows between senior roles broadly and the apex of an institution specifically.
The report also includes a dedicated policy chapter, examining interventions with an evidence base behind them: equal pay legislation, transparent promotion practices, improved childcare provision, and mentorship programmes. The consistent finding is that tools exist, but that adoption remains the bottleneck.