The Most Powerful Women in Banking 2026: Call for nominations for Banking, Finance and Top Teams

Now in its 24th year, American Banker's The Most Powerful Women in Banking  and its companion ranking, The Most Powerful Women in Finance,  pay tribute to individual senior executives whose leadership and performance have had a substantial business, financial and cultural impact on their bank or financial institution, the industry, and the communities in which they live and work. 

Our ranking of the Top Teams in Banking and Finance recognizes five teams, profiles the outstanding performance of a team within a specific business line, division or group. While the team does not need to be exclusively female, it must be led by a woman and women must account for 50% or more of team members.

The call for nominations is now open for The Most Powerful Women in Banking, Finance and Top Teams. While nominations are not required to be considered for any of the rankings, they are strongly encouraged.

Eligibility

Please read carefully. 

Applicants must be employed by a private-sector bank or financial services company. Applicants who work in the U.S., Canada, or western Europe OR whose FIRMS are based in the U.S., Canada or western Europe, will be considered for individual recognition. Women whose primary employment is with trade associations, regulatory agencies, technology vendors, or law, accounting, or other professional services firms are not eligible for the ranking.

Candidates for the ranking of The Most Powerful Women in Banking must work for a private-sector bank, thrift or bank-owned subsidiary, division, or group. 

Eligibility for The Most Powerful Women in Banking requires that the applicant be in her current role for at least one full year as of April 15, 2026. If a candidate has gotten a promotion within her financial institution OR has accepted a new role at another institution but has not been in her new position for a full year, she will not be considered for The Most Powerful Women in Banking ranking. Rather, an applicant with less than a year of tenure in their current role will be considered for our Women to Watch ranking, which highlights 25 female executives who have demonstrated notable advancement in their career over the previous year, but who were edged out by other candidates' individual performances that merited inclusion in The MPWIB ranking or who did not meet the performance requirement of being in their role for one full year.

Candidates for The Most Powerful Women in Finance must be employed by a private-sector financial services firm, business unit or division involved in nonbank finance, such as securities exchanges, asset managers, card networks, hedge funds, investment banks, and private equity. In certain cases, companies that also own banks may fit into this category. Applicants who work in the U.S., Canada, or western Europe OR whose FIRMS are based in the U.S., Canada or western Europe, will be considered for individual recognition.

Application instructions and links

Only applications submitted through our secure online system will be considered. Please note that the deadline to apply for The Most Powerful Women in Banking, Finance and Top Teams 2025 is Wednesday, April 15, 5 p.m. ET. 

We recommend previewing the application, gathering all material offline first, and then cutting and pasting answers directly into the online form. Partially completed submissions may be saved in the system until ready to submit. More detailed instructions are provided once you begin.

Apply for this year's individual rankings here. (The nomination form is the same for The Most Powerful Women in Banking and Most Powerful Women in Finance rankings.)

Apply for this year's Top Team in Banking ranking here.

Awards celebrations

We will be celebrating this elite group of leaders at a gala in New York City during the week of The Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance conference and gala, now in its 24th year, to be held October in 2026. 

We look forward to you joining MPWIB and NEXT honorees for a full week of insightful programs, professional networking and evening celebrations that recognize the extraordinary leadership of women in the banking and financial services industry.

Editorial and sponsorship information

Please direct any questions about The Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance to Mary Ellen Egan, Senior Director, Content and Strategy, Live Media, American Banker, at maryellen.egan@arizent.com.

For information about sponsoring The Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance rankings, the gala awards celebration for honorees, or the Most Powerful Women in Banking conference, please contact Hilary Whidden at hilary.whidden@arizent.com