Deutsche Bank Pivots to Virtual Tech Conference as Delta Spreads

(Bloomberg) -- Deutsche Bank AG will shift its September technology conference to a completely virtual format as governments and businesses come to grips with the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant.

“We are disappointed that we will not be able to deliver an in-person conference experience,” the German bank said in a memo sent to clients and attendees that was reviewed by Bloomberg News. “However the safety of our participants and the shift in sentiment away from in-person attendance indicated this is the best option.”

The event is set for Sept. 9 and 10. Guests will be able to participate in sessions featuring “senior executives from leading companies” who will also be available for small-group and one-on-one meetings, according to the event’s website.

Following updated federal guidance that recommended vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors when in regions with significant rates of transmission, Citigroup Inc. reinstated its office-mask mandate. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. joined firms requiring that employees be fully vaccinated to return to the workplace.

Meanwhile, cities across the U.S. are imposing new requirements for face coverings indoors or strongly imploring residents to resume wearing them without enacting binding restrictions.

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