Experts explore cutting-edge fintech research

Cardiff Fintech Conference brought over 100 experts together to discuss cutting-edge research on all areas of financial technology.

Hosted by Cardiff Business School, the event took place on 8 and 9 November 2023.

Professor Rachel Ashworth, Dean and Head of Cardiff Business School, provided the welcome address. She was followed by Conference Co-chair, Professor Arman Eshraghi, who set the tone for two days of productive discussions around the fintech landscape.

Conference delegates dissected 55 academic papers from researchers spanning the globe - Canada, the US, UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and Australia.

Delegates took part in a plethora of interactive sessions covering the fintech spectrum. Sessions featured paper presentations and question-and-answer segments, and provided a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange. Notable themes included: machine learning and crowdfunding, privacy and scams, quantitative trading, banks and lending, blockchain, crypto assets, innovation, and sustainability. The conference also included a gala dinner.

Conference keynote speakers included:

• Bruno Biais, Professor of Finance at HEC Paris
• Raghavendra Rau, the Sir Evelyn de Rothschild Professor of Finance at Cambridge Judge Business School
• Alberto Rossi, Professor of Finance at Georgetown University
• Wei Xiong, Professor of Economics at Princetown University

The keynote speeches tackled a range of critical and pressing topics, encompassing AI's transformative potential in finance, data privacy concerns, the consequence of cryptocurrencies, and the open challenges for the future of robo-advising.

The conference was Co-Chaired by Professor Arman Eshraghi, Professor Qingwei Wang and Dr Yizhi Wang. They commented: “we were delighted to host the conference that brought together some of the world's leading minds in the ever-evolving Fintech landscape. As a leading UK academic conference on financial technology, it offered a dynamic platform for researchers around the world to explore the latest trends and challenges in Fintech.”