Finance for Development Workshop
Financial systems are evolving rapidly across the Global South, creating new opportunities and challenges for inclusive growth. These developments call for rigorous research on their implications at both the micro and macro levels.
To this end, the Centre for Finance and Development (CFD) at the Geneva Graduate Institute will host a workshop on Finance for Development on February 12–13, 2026, in Geneva.
Confirmed Speakers
- Francis Annan, University of California, Berkeley
- Felipe Brugues, ITAM
- Erika Deserranno, Bocconi University
- Maitreesh Ghatak, London School of Economics
- Xavier Giné, World Bank
- Beatrice Weder di Mauro, Geneva Graduate Institute
Call for papers
We invite submissions of high-quality research papers focusing on financial decision-making in developing countries.
Topics of particular interest include:
- Household and SME finance
- Financial inclusion of households and enterprises
- Microfinance, banks, and non-bank financial intermediaries
- Political economy aspects of the financial sector
- The role of bond markets and sovereign risk
- Financing public investment and the green transition
Selection process
Application deadline: November 12, 2025
Papers will be selected by the program committee.
The workshop will provide meals (lunch and dinner), but travel and accommodation expenses cannot be covered.
Please send full papers together with a binding nomination of the presenter to findev2026@gmail.com by November 12, 2025. Selection decisions will be communicated by December 1, 2025.
For inquiries, please contact findev2026@gmail.com.
Program Committee
- Robert Lensik, University of Groningen
- Stefan Klonner, Heidelberg University
- Lukas Menkhoff, Kiel Institute for the World Economy
- Ugo Panizza, Centre for Finance and Development, Geneva Graduate Institute
- Lore Vandevalle, KU Leuven and Centre for Finance and Development, Geneva Graduate Institute
Local Organizers
- Ugo Panizza, Centre for Finance and Development, Geneva Graduate Institute
- Lore Vandevalle, KU Leuven and Centre for Finance and Development, Geneva Graduate Institute
With support from
The workshop is supported with Funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Geneva Graduate Institute's Centre for Finance and Development, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, and PEDL.
