Call for Papers: 2026 Conference
Conference Date: April 3, 2026
Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Ten Independence Mall, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Questions? udfedconf@udel.edu
Submission deadline: December 31, 2025 (11:59 PM EST)
Click here for submission upload website for pdf paper uploads and fee payment.
We ask a $45 paper submission fee. In the case of financial hardship, please contact us.
Keynote Speaker: Antoinette Schoar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Fintech and Financial Institutions Conference is a forum for presenting and discussing current research on the inter-linkages of the fintech sector and the broader financial system. The Conference will focus on understanding economic consequences and impacts in both directions, as well as 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 invited by 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's 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 on the April 3 program will follow by mid-February. We will provide travel funding as available, with most consideration to graduate student paper presenters and discussants. Conference attendance fees will be waived for authors.
Appropriate topics include:
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 (e.g., 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 AI and 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
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, BIS
Isil Erel, Ohio State University
Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Yale University
Deeksha Gupta, Johns Hopkins University
Naz Kara Koont, Stanford
Wenli Li, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Marina Niessner, Indiana University
Raluca Roman, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Samuel Rosen, Temple University
Alberto Rossi, Georgetown University
Philip Strahan, Boston College
James Vickery, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Gloria Yang Yu, Singapore Management University
David Yermack, NYU
Yao Zeng, University of Pennsylvania