The Fintech and Financial Institutions Conference is a forum for presenting and discussing current research on the interlinkages of the fintech sector and the broader financial system. The conference will focus on understanding the economic consequences and impacts in both directions, as well as the regulatory implications of the fintech sector.
The conference aims to foster meaningful academic discussions among leading researchers and policymakers in this rapidly evolving field. These conversations will help shape our understanding of how developments in financial institutions, business strategies, policy decisions, and societal events influence economic outcomes and intersect with the growth of fintech.
This single-track research conference will feature approximately eight paper presentations, with insightful comments from invited discussants as well as audience participation. Submissions of high-quality theoretical and empirical research papers exploring aspects related to financial institutions and fintech trends are welcome through December 31.
The conference is a joint project of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Lerner College of Business and Economics of the University of Delaware. We are grateful to leaders and colleagues in both institutions for establishing the conference as a contribution to the academic conversation on fintech in the context of the financial system.
All submissions will be evaluated by the organizers and the program committee. Decisions regarding inclusion in the April 3 program will follow by mid-February. We will provide travel funding as available, with most consideration given to graduate student paper presenters and discussants. The conference attendance fee will be waived for the authors.
Keynote Speaker
- Antoinette Schoar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Call for Papers
Submission deadline: December 31, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EST)
Submissions of high-quality theoretical and empirical research papers exploring aspects related to fintech trends are invited. Submit your manuscript at the University of Delaware's conference website. Examples of potential topics include (but are not limited to):
- competition and collaboration dynamics between traditional financial institutions and new market entrants;
- financial stability consequences of the interplay between fintech and traditional lenders;
- impact on credit supply and pricing for large firms, small businesses, and households;
- real economy effects of fintech and the financial system's response;
- societal impact (for example, inequality issues) relating to fintech and its interactions with the financial system;
- influence of monetary and fiscal policies on fintech firms and financial institutions;
- governance strategies and structures within fintech, crypto-exchanges, and blockchain organizations;
- the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) by traditional and fintech lenders;
- the real impact of cryptocurrencies;
- regulatory considerations surrounding fintech and its interactions with the broader financial system;
- alternative credit assessment systems and their impact, including fairness; and
- impact of regulations on fintech innovation.
Organizing Committee
- Michael Gelman, University of Delaware
- Paul Laux, University of Delaware
- Vitaly Meursault, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Program Committee
- Joseph Abadi, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
- Jack Bao, University of Delaware
- Tetyana Balyuk, Emory University
- Sebastian Doerr, Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
- Isil Erel, the Ohio State University
- Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Yale University
- Deeksha Gupta, Johns Hopkins University
- Naz Kara Koont, Stanford University
- Wenli Li, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
- Marina Niessner, Indiana University
- Raluca A. Roman, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
- Samuel Rosen, Temple University
- Alberto G. Rossi, Georgetown University
- Philip Strahan, Boston College
- James Vickery, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
- Gloria Yang Yu, Singapore Management University
- David Yermack, New York University
- Yao Zeng, University of Pennsylvania