G7 Cyber Expert Group (CEG) Meeting: Palermo, 9-11 June 2026

The G7 Cyber Expert Group (CEG) was established in 2015 and is a standing working group of the financial authorities of countries in the G7 and the European Union. It promotes international cooperation on cybersecurity and operational resilience in the financial sector through information-sharing, joint threat analysis and the development of common approaches to risk mitigation.

Banca d'Italia hosted a CEG meeting at its branch in Palermo, Sicily, from 9 to 11 June, highlighting the importance of the regional network in representing and supporting the Bank in its institutional functions.

At the opening session, the Branch Director, Milena Caldarella, welcomed participants and outlined the main functions performed by the Bank's branches, emphasizing their role as a key point of contact between the Bank, citizens, and the local economy.

Stefano Siviero, Head of the Directorate General for Payments and Market Infrastructures, then stressed the importance of increasingly effective international cooperation in addressing a complex geopolitical environment and an array of threats that is constantly evolving. He underscored how the security of the financial system increasingly depends on making not only individual institutions more resilient but also strengthening the global financial ecosystem as a whole, through coordinated management of operational interdependencies, emerging risks, and new vulnerabilities.

During the meeting, participants discussed the lessons learned from a recent exercise designed to test coordination among G7 authorities in response to a global cyberattack scenario. Particular attention was also paid to cybersecurity implications associated with the growing adoption of emerging technologies, with a focus on artificial intelligence and quantum computing.