Call for Papers: 2026 ABFER-JFDS Conference on AI for Finance
Published 15 June, 2026
We are excited to organize 2026 ABFER-JFDS Conference on AI for Finance on 18-19 August, 2026. The conference is co-organized by Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School, Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance, Southern University of Science and Technology Business School, and Faculty of Business for Science and Technology, School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, with academic support from the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research (ABFER) and the Journal of Finance and Data Science (JFDS).
This two-day event will focus on AI applications in finance and related industries. It will bring together academics, industry experts, and regulators to explore the latest developments, opportunities, and challenges related to investing in investment and capital market research in the era of AI.
The conference will take place on Aug 18-19 at the International Institute of Finance, USTC, No. 1789 Guangxi Road, Hefei, Anhui, China. Anyone interested in learning about the evolving and progressing intersection of AI and investment is welcome to attend.
This conference will provide a unique platform for attendees to engage in academic and industry exchanges, and to gain valuable knowledge, insights, and the latest research findings in the fields of AI, fintech, and capital markets. The conference will feature keynote speeches, paper presentations, discussions, and topical research sessions. We welcome submissions of research papers in all areas related to the intersection of AI and finance, including but not limited to the following topics.
Topics
- Applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, large language models, AI agents, high-performance computing, and other novel analytical methods in finance and financial economics.
- Use of unstructured and alternative data in investment, auditing, assurance, and related fields, including text, images, voice and facial recognition, satellite data, geolocation, digital footprints, social media, and other data sources.
- Social and economic impacts of AI adoption, including the opportunities and challenges associated with widespread AI adoption and its impact on firms, investors, employees, customers, regulators, and other stakeholders.
- Ethical, governance, and regulatory considerations of AI in finance, including bias, transparency, privacy, model risk, cybersecurity, data regulation, and responsible AI.
- Quantitative investment strategies, portfolio optimization, digital assets, DeFi, and platform finance using machine learning technologies or other AI models.
Furthermore, JFDS will sponsor one Best Paper Award and one Best Discussant Award, with a prize of US$1,000 for each award.
Submission Guideline
- Authors should submit the full paper in PDF format by email to ai4f@ustc.edu.cn.
- Submission Deadline: June 30, 2026
- Acceptance Notification: July 7-15, 2026
- Submission Fee: There is no submission fee for the conference.
- Conference Dates: August 18-19, 2026
Keynote Speaker
Jun Pan, Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Conference Program Committee
- Henry Cao, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business
- Wilbur Chen, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Lin William Cong, Cornell University
- Yi Huang, Fudan University
- Mingyi Hung, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Bernard Yeung, Southern University of Science and Technology, National University of Singapore, and Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research
- Haifeng You, Tsinghua University
- Amy Zang, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Xiaoyan Zhang, Tsinghua University
- Hao Zhou, Southern University of Science and Technology and Tsinghua University
Organizing Committee
Faculty of Business for Science & Technology and School of Management, USTC
Qiang Ye
Executive Dean and Chair Professor
Xiao Wang
Jiaquan Yao
Xin He
Travel Support
The conference will provide hotel accommodations for accepted paper presenters, paper discussants, and session moderators for up to 3 nights.
Registration and Contact Information
Registration information will be released after the notification of acceptance. Please note that in-person attendance may be subject to venue capacity limitations and will be confirmed by the organizing committee. For further information, please contact ai4f@ustc.edu.cn.
Call For Papers on SSRN:
https://www.ssrn.com/index.cfm/en/janda/announcement/?id=19223
For reference to past conferences, please click the following,
3rd Year Conference Programs:
https://aicm.pbcsf.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/
https://aicm.pbcsf.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/CONFERENCE_PROGRAM.htm
2nd Year Conference Programs:
https://business.sustech.edu.cn/web/aicm/index.php
https://business.sustech.edu.cn/web/aicm/program_rundown.php
1st Year Conference Programs:
https://cn.ckgsb.com/JFDS/2023/ConferenceProgram.aspx
https://acct.hkust.edu.hk/2023-research-conference-program-rundown
Paper Discussion for the 3rd Year Conference Published in the JFDS:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405918825000194
Paper Discussion for the 2nd Year Conference Published in the JFDS:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405918825000054
Panel Discussion and Newsletter for the 1st Year Conference Published in the JFDS:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405918824000011
2nd Year Conference Participating Lists:
https://business.sustech.edu.cn/web/aicm/participation_list.php
1st Year Conference Participating Lists: