8th FinGeo International Seminar “Contemporary Advances in Financial Geography” - 2nd - 3rd February 2026 – University of Bologna (Italy) – Palazzo Marescotti, Via Barberie 4, Bologna
Introduction
The 8th FinGeo Seminar (2–3 February 2026) is an international large-scale seminar that aims to foster debate on “Contemporary advances in financial geography” within the following broad nexuses, presented and discussed in parallel and plenary sessions.
The 8th FinGeo Seminar, in line with the well-established FinGeo tradition, will take place in a welcoming, high-level international environment. This edition will be hosted by the University of Bologna, thanks to the collaboration of the Department of Management, the Regional Studies Association, the journal Finance and Space, and STS Deloitte.
The seminar will address, among other topics, FinTech, the AI–finance nexus, sustainable finance, biofinance, climate finance, the role of bank foundations, finance for social business, relational credit, investment funds, philanthropy, and development finance. These themes will be explored from different perspectives, including — but not limited to — economic geography, political economy, political science, geopolitics, financial statistics, financial economics, banking and financial intermediaries and development studies.
The event will bring together academics and researchers from around the world, as well as institutional representatives and practitioners, with the aim of strengthening dialogue and enhancing understanding of global trends in financial geography.
In particular, the programme is designed to foster scholarly debate on recent developments in financial geography, structured around the following broad thematic nexuses:
- Finance, Development, Social Businesses & Geography,
- Finance, Environmental Sustainability & Geography,
- Technology advances, Finance & Geography.
- Geography, Urban Development & Real Estate
- Geopolitics, Geoeconomics & Geofinance
- Spatial patterns and mapping in financial geography
The format is designed to inspire ideas, stimulate meaningful debate, and foster networking in a friendly international environment. It will include keynote speeches, panels and dialogues with practitioners, short paper presentations, site visits, and networking events.
Registration is free but compulsory for organizational reasons: https://forms.gle/CEEWDbip2a5Q3mPF8
Important dates:
- 1 September 2025 - Pre-Registration and call for abstract open
- 10 January 2026 - Call for abstracts closes
- 31 January 2026 - Registration Closes for attendance only participants
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Contacts: s.grandi@unibo.it
DRAFT PROGRAMME
Monday, 2nd February 2026
From 8:30 Registration & Welcome Coffee
9:00 - 9:45 - Aula Marescotti - Opening Remarks
- SOHNS Franziska – FinGeo Chair & Anglia Ruskin University (UK)
- MERRIWEATHER Tom – Chief of Publications, Regional Studies Association – RSA°
- PALETTA Angelo – Director, Department of Management, University of Bologna
- TRIVISANO Carlo – Director, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Bologna
- MAGNANI Elisa – Professor of Geography at the University of Bologna and member of the National University Council (CUN)
9:45 - 11:15 - Aula Donatoni - Parallel Session A – Geography, Finance, Social & Local Development
Chair & Discussant: JAFRI Juvaria – University of East Anglia (UK) & IOANNOU Stefanos - Oxford Brookes University (UK)
- Banking Practices and Local Financial Ecosystems – PONGPECH Swisa, University of Oxford (UK)
- The Utopian Project of Social Finance: Merging Financial Profits and Social Good as the Only Way Forward – KAUSHAL Tanushree, Geneva Graduate Institute (Switzerland)
- Intersectional Geographies of Money: Finance, Belonging, and Technology in the Lives of Black Migrant Women – PRINCEWILL Tamunodein, Loughborough University (UK)
- From concept to practice: a framework proposal to analyse peripheral local financial centres, with evidence from the Basque Country – GIL DE SAN VICENTE Ibon, University of Deusto (Spain)
- Digital Dollarisation in Venezuela: Social Meaning, Inequalities, and Governance – ROBINS Daniel, University of Oxford (UK)
- The Glocal Politics of Climate Finance Instruments Mediating Sustainability, Profit seeking and Justice in European Climate Lending to Indian Metro Rails - HAUFE Paula, Witten/Herdecke University (Germany)
- Unveiling Spatial Inequalities in Crowdfunding: A Geographical Analysis of Iran's Financing Landscape – ESKANDAR SANI Mohammad, University of Birjand (Iran)
9:45 -11:15 - Aula Marescotti - Parallel Session B – Geography, Finance & Environmental and Social Sustainability
Chair & Discussant: CORRADI Marco Claudio, ESSEC Paris & Singapore & SOHNS Franziska – FinGeo Chair & Anglia Ruskin University (UK)
- Situating the roles of the Belgian state in financing climate transition – LA GIOIA Adriano, Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
- Financialization of Water in Brazil – ZAMBIASI Tamara, University of Cambridge (UK)
- On the Blue Wave: Liquidity, Derisking, and the Making of Oceanic Frontiers – ROSSI Caterina, Queen Mary University of London (UK) & CONTI Tommaso, Università degli Studi Roma Tre (Italy)
- Quantifying Granular Supply-Demand Mismatch and Credit Risk Heterogeneity in Indian Cities using Earth Observation Data – GUPTA Nakul, Management Development Institute Gurgaon (India)
- Adaptation to Expected Water Availability in Water-Intensive Crop Acreage: Evidence from the Murray-Darling Basin Water Cap and Trade Market – EHRENHOFER Fabio, University of Bologna (Italy)
- From Racialized Geographies to Financial Markets: Sustainable Finance and the Rise of the Socially Responsible Landlord - KADIOGLU Defne, Malmö University (Sweden)
9:45 -11:15 - Aula Ferrero - Parallel Session C – Geography, Finance & Technology advances
Chair & Discussant: HYSAJ Yllka, Imperial College London (UK) & LAI Karen, Durham University (UK)
- Financialised Infrastructures of Intelligence: Data Centres and Resource Politics in the UK and Spain – YÜRÜK, Aslı, University of Open Catalonia (Spain)
- Spatial Dynamics of the FinTech Industry in Poland: An Evolutionary Perspective – SMOLIAR Iuliia, Jagiellonian University, Doctoral School of Social Sciences (Poland)
- How Technological Innovation Shapes the Future of Mobile Payments: A Systematic Literature Review - NGUYEN Chi, Anglia Ruskin University (UK)
- Finance Research Regarding Cashback Programmes: The Usage of Cuenta DNI Virtual Wallet in Mercado Morón (Buenos Aires, Argentina) – GARCIA TARSIA Aldana, CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas) (Argentina)
- Digital Transformation and Financial Geography: Spatial Spillovers and Regional Financial Ecosystems in Europe – COLAMARTINO Chiara, BARONE Marco, BUSSOLI Candida, University LUM “Giuseppe Degennaro” & TOMA Pierluigi, University of Salento (Italy)
- Spatial Transformations at the Intersection of Quantum Computing, Sustainability, and Regional Financial Systems – GENTIL Bigirimana, Xi'an University of Science and Technology (China)
11:15 -11:40 - Healthy Break
11:40 -13:00 - Aula Marescotti - 1st Plenary Session – Why does place and space matter in finance?
Chair: BASSENS David, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
- Intro Speech: The impact of tariffs in the global financial context – GHETTI Paolo and SCALA Nicola, STS Deloitte
- Intro Speech: From non-financial reporting to Sustainability in Practice: A case from the productive sector – Confcoperative
- Diversifying the UK Lending Base for small businesses. The role of FinTech - IOANNOU Stefanos, Oxford Brookes University (UK)
- Beta Convergence Analysis of Banks' Branches Distance. A Micro Level Examination of Spatial Dynamics – ALGERI Carmelo, MUSSONI Maurizio, PATUELLI Roberto, TORLUCCIO Giuseppe, University of Bologna (Italy)
- State-Mediated Financialisation and the Expansion of Capital Markets in Brazil – TAIXEIRA ALVES AFFONSO Claudia, University of Campinas & University of São Paulo (Brazil)
- Financing for China's rapid urbanization: A revisit from the state-led (de-) financialization perspective – PAN Fenghua, Beijing Normal University (China)
Q&A and discussion
13:00 -14:15 - Light lunch & networking
14:15 -16:00 - Aula Marescotti
2nd Plenary Session – The Green and Digital Turn: Drivers and Backlashes
Chair: GRANDI Silvia, University of Bologna & National Research Council of Italy (CNR-Igag) (Italy)
- Intro Speech: Sustainable Finance and European Union regulations – FERRAIS Luca, Department of the Treasury, Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy)
- Intro Speech: The effects of fiscal incentives for the green economy – SOTERA Andrea, Deloitte STS
- Antitrust, Climate Initiatives, and Geoeconomic Fragmentation in Global Finance – CORRADI Marco Claudio, Essec Business School Paris & Singapore
- Global Digital Technology Networks: A Geographical Political Economy Framework – BASSENS David, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and GROTE Michael, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (Germany)
- The Geography of Everyday Banking: Unbundling, Access, and Resilience – SONEA Andra, University of Warwick (UK) – FinGeo PhD Prize award 2025
Q&A and discussion
16:00-16:05 - Family Picture in Palazzo Marescotti steps
16:05 -16:30 - Coffee & Tea Break
16:30 -17:30 - Aula Marescotti - 3rd Session – Unveiling uncodified and emerging sustainable finance practices and opportunities
Chair: TORLUCCIO Giuseppe, University of Bologna (Italy)
- Intro Speech: The climate-biodiversity-pollution nexus in the pricing of environmental credit risks – PETRACCO GIUDICI Marco, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EU)
- Intro Speech:The economic growth of places and the Cooperative Credit Banks, Rural and Artisan Banks - LOPEZ Juan, Federcasse - Italian Federation of Cooperative Credit Banks - Rural and Artisan Banks (Italy)
- Covert Leverage: Philanthropy’s Quiet Influence in Shaping Ecosystem Futures – RUDD Kate, University of York (UK)
- European Cohesion Policy and NRRP for sustainable development – COLETTI Raffaella, National Research Council of Italy (CNR- Issirfa) (Italy)
Q&A and discussion
17:30 -19:30 - Networking opportunities or free time
19:30 -21:30 - Social dinner (optional)
Tuesday, 3rd February 2026
9:00 -10:15 - Aula Donatoni
Parallel Session D – Geography, Urban Development & Real Estate
Chairs: PAN Fenghua, Beijing Normal University (China) & TAIXEIRA ALVES AFFONSO Claudia, University of Campinas & University of São Paulo (Brasil)
- ‘Big Beautiful Buildings’: The International Political Economy of Data Center Real Estate and the Assetization of Compute as Space – KULLICK Paul Niklas, Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Societies (Germany)
- Ownership, Control, and Financialization: Real Estate Business Groups and Investment Managers in Brazil – NAKAMA Vinicius, University of São Paulo (Brazil)
- Readjustment Zone Expansion, Land Value Capture Financing, and the Logistical Techniques of Urban Development: The Case of Taichung’s Urban Land Readjustment – YAN Zhi-Jun Jerry, University of FengChia (Taiwan)
- Between Closures and Reopenings: The Economic and Geographic Restructuring of Shopping FIIs in Brazil Post-COVID-19 – MACHIAVELLI Pollyana, Instituto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade Estadual de São Paulo (Brazil)
- Financialization, Ownership, and the Political Ecology of Just Transition in Rural Ireland – BENCEKOVIC Sara, Dublin City University (Ireland)
9:00 -10:15 - Aula Marescotti - Parallel Session E – Geopolitics, Geoeconomics & Geofinance
Chair & Discussant: PETRACCO GIUDICI Marco, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EU) & GROTE Michael, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (Germany)
- Financial centres and service hinterlands: an analysis of Chinese domestic financial centres – FANG Cheng, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
- Financial geography of Eurasia: key research agenda in the economic transformation of the region – DOLGOVA Alena, International Advisory Group on the creation of an International Financial Centre in Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
- Not Periphery but Center: Latam as a Laboratory of Monetary and Financial Experimentation. Insights from Argentina – PERTUSI Juliana, Flacso (Argentina)
- State-led financialization in China: Governing through financial technocrats – ZHANG Xuchen, Beijing Normal University (China)
- Energy Transition Metals in Southeast Asia: Are These the Bottleneck? – MRÓZ Maciej, Warsaw School of Economics (Poland)
9:00 -10:15 - Aula Ferrero - Parallel Session F – Spatial patterns and mapping in financial geography
Chair & Discussant: SONEA Andra, University of Warwick (UK) & ALGERI Carmelo, Università di Bologna (Italy)
- Solar Energy Risks: Spatial Stochastic Radiation Modeling and Optimal Hedging Strategies – SARTINI Beniamino, University of Bologna (Italy)
- Mischief Managed: Mapping Varieties of Wealth Managers in Offshore Finance – STAUSHOLM Saila, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)
- Spatial Distribution of Corporate and Municipal Bond Issuance in Poland at the NUTS-3 Level – WĘGRZYN Paweł, SGH Warsaw School of Economics (Poland)
- Rental System Legacies and Rounds of Investments—How Institutional Investors Have Entered Local Rental Markets in Sweden – GUSTAFSSON Jennie, Malmö university (Sweden)
- Mapping Consolidation: Spatial Patterns in the Italian Banking Industry - DE ROSA Antonio Maria, GREEN - Università Bocconi (Italy)
10:15 -10:45 - Aula Marescotti - Meet the editors of Finance & Space
- Coordinated by BASSENS David, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and Finance & Space Deputy Editor in Chief
10:45 -11:15 - Coffee Break
11:15 -13:00 - Aula Marescotti - 4th Plenary Round Table – Trends in Geography of Finance
Chair: SOHNS Franziska, FinGeo Chair & Anglia Ruskin University (UK)
(blended format & visible online)
- Intro Speech: The Year Ahead: Key Determinants and Perspectives for the 2026 Financial System, RAMENGHI Matteo, Chief Investment Officer, UBS Wealth Management
Round table with:
- TORLUCCIO Giuseppe, University of Bologna (Italy)
- GROTE Michael, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (Germany)
- LAI Karen, Durham University (UK)°
- PAN Fenghua, Beijing Normal University (China)
- LA FORESTA Daniela, University of Naples “Federico II” (Italy)°
- TAIXEIRA ALVES AFFONSO Claudia, University of Campinas & University of São Paulo (Brazil)
- DÖRRY Sabine, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) (Luxemburg) °
- BASSENS David, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
- WÓJCIK Dariusz – National University of Singapore (Singapore)°
Open discussion with all in presence & online participants
Closing Remarks - Contemporary advances in Financial Geography. Is the Chief Geofinancial Officer an emerging strategic asset?
- GRANDI Silvia, University of Bologna, Uninettuno & National Research Council of Italy (CNR-Igag) (Italy)
13:00 -14:30 - Lunch (optional)
14:30 -17:00 - Post-Seminar Visits to the University of Bologna and Bologna’s Financial Heritage Sites
OTHER INFORMATION
About FinGeo - Globar Resarch network on financial Geography (fingeo.net)
- About FinGEO and previous editions www.fingeo.net & https://doi.org/10.1080/2833115X.2025.2589603
- Get a flavour of the event by read about the last FinGeo similar events in Singapore 2025 - https://fass.nus.edu.sg/events/geopolitics-and-geoeconomics-of-finance
- About the RSA & FinGeo: https://www.regionalstudies.org/network/financial-geographies/
Collaborating Organisations
- Regional Studies Association [https://www.regionalstudies.org/]
- Department of Management, University of Bologna [https://scienzeaziendali.unibo.it/en/index.html]
- Italian Yunus Fundation [https://fondazioneyunus.it/en/eng-homepage/]
- STS Deloitte Collaborating Journals & Publishers
Main Collaborating Journals' & Publishers'
- Finance & Space
- Geoprogress Journal
- TEDI Journal
- Taylor & Francis
- Edward Elgar
Patronages
- Associazione Geografi Italiani (A.Ge.I) (Italian Geography Association)
- Società Studi Geografici (Geography Study Society)
- Geoprogress
Local Organising Commitee Co-chairs
- Silvia Grandi – University of Bologna, Uninettuno, CNR & FinGeo
- Giuseppe Torluccio – University of Bologna & Italian Yunus Fundation
- Carmelo Algeri – University of Bologna
- Chiara Carone – University of Bologna
- Riccardo Sidoti – University of Bologna
- Davide Verrocchi – Italian Yunus Foundation
- Pietro Fochi – University of Bologna
Scientific Committee
- Carmelo Algeri – University of Bologna, Italy
- Claudia Affonso – University of Campinas & University of São Paulo, Brasil
- Dariusz Wójcik – National University of Singapore, Singapore & Finance and Space Chief Editor
- David Bassens – Vrei Universiteit Brussels, Belgium
- Daniela La Foresta – Univeristy of Naples “Federico II”, Italy
- Fenghua Pan – Beijing Normal University, China
- Fabio Contiel – University of São Paulo, Brasil
- Sabine Dorry – Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), Luxembourg
- Juvaria Jafri – University of East Anglia, UK
- Franziska Sohns – Anglia Ruskin University, UK & FinGeo Chair
- Giuseppe Torluccio – University of Bologna and Italian Yunus Foundation, Italy
- Karen Lai – Durham University, UK
- Marco Claudio Corradi – ESSEC Business School Paris & Singapore
- Marco Petracco Giudici – Joint Research Center, European Commission
- Michael H. Grote – Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Germany
- Silvia Grandi – University of Bologna, Uninettuno and National Research Council of Italy (CNR-Igag), Italy
- Stefanos Ioannou – Oxford Brookes University, UK
- Yllka Hysaj – Imperial College London & University of Bristol, UK
Published on: September 29 2025
