Fintech & Financial Institutions Research Conference
Hosted by the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the Fintech & Financial Institutions Research Conference offers a focused forum for presenting and discussing new scholarship on the evolving relationship between fintech and the broader financial system. The event brings together researchers, policymakers, and industry experts to examine economic impacts, regulatory considerations, and the ways financial institutions, business strategies, and policy developments shape outcomes in a rapidly changing technological landscape.
2026 Conference
Date: April 3
Keynote speaker: Antoinette Schoar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Call for Papers
Submission deadline: December 31, 2025 (11:59 PM EST)
Notification of acceptance: Mid-February
This single-track research conference will feature approximately eight paper presentations, each accompanied by comments from invited discussants and opportunities for audience engagement. Travel support will be provided as available, with priority given to graduate student presenters and discussants. Attendance fees are waived for authors of accepted papers.
We welcome submissions of high-quality theoretical or empirical papers that explore the role of financial institutions, fintech developments, and related economic or regulatory dynamics.
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We ask a $45 paper submission fee. In the case of financial hardship, please contact us.
Topics of Interest
Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Competitive and collaborative dynamics between traditional financial institutions and new fintech entrants
- Financial stability implications of interactions between fintech firms and traditional lenders
- Effects on credit supply and pricing for large corporations, small businesses and households
- Real-economy outcomes resulting from fintech innovation and financial-sector responses
- Societal impacts—including inequality—arising from fintech activity
- Influence of monetary and fiscal policies on fintech firms and financial institutions
- Governance structures in fintech firms, blockchain organizations and crypto-exchanges
- Applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in traditional and fintech lending
- Economic implications of cryptocurrency adoption
- Regulatory frameworks shaping fintech and its integration with the broader financial system
- Alternative credit assessment systems and their implications for fairness and access
- Regulatory impacts on fintech innovation
Conference Partners
The conference is a joint initiative of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Lerner College. We gratefully acknowledge leaders and colleagues from both institutions for their commitment to advancing scholarly dialogue on fintech in the context of the financial system.
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
Contact
Questions? Email us at udfedconf@udel.edu.