Event
The Industrial Organization of Financial Markets: Conference
The Industrial Organization of Financial Markets: SKEMA Conference
Conference Dates and Location
June 8-9, 2026, at SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis (Nice) campus, France
Conference Overview:
Financial markets play a central role in every market economy. Their purpose is to channel funds from savers to firms and other economic agents seeking capital, and direct resources toward high-return investments that support productivity and growth. Yet, as in any market, various frictions—such as asymmetric information, externalities, systemic risk, and market power—can impede their efficient functioning. These frictions are central to ongoing policy debates on regulation and the appropriate scope of government intervention. To deepen our understanding of how market frictions shape the flow of funds from savers to recipients, the FAIRR research center of SKEMA Business School will dedicate its 2026 Finance Conference to the theme The Industrial Organization of Financial Markets.
The conference will examine how firms with market power interact across retail and wholesale financial markets, including equity issuance, lending, deposit-taking, government bond trading, and interbank activity. It will also analyze competition in primary markets for corporate bonds and equities and assess how regulation and technological innovation shape market outcomes.
The conference will take place on June 8-9, 2026, at SKEMA's Sophia Antipolis Campus in Nice, France. The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Jakub Kastl of Princeton University. The conference will also feature invited talks by Catherine Casamatta of Toulouse School of Economics and Milena Wittwer of Columbia Business School. Professor Charles M. Kahn from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will serve as one of the guest speakers.
The program includes a plenary panel on Financial Regulation and Policy, which will examine the evolving regulatory landscape and the vital contribution of academic research to policy design. Senior representatives from major central banks—including deputy governors of French, English and Brazilian institutions—as well as a representative from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) will participate in this high-level policy discussion.
We invite researchers to submit their work on the industrial organization of financial markets topics including, but not limited to:
- market structure and competition,
- innovation and strategic behavior in the organization of the financial markets,
- payment card industry, lending and digital banking,
- primary and secondary markets for equity, government debt and corporate debt,
- financial regulation and competition policy,
- interbank lending markets, retail funding markets, credit markets, including mortgages.
Submission Procedure:
Authors should submit their papers via email to conf.financialmarkets@skema.edu in PDF format before March 15, 2026. Successful authors will be notified before April 15, 2026. Authors of accepted papers will be provided with accommodation in Sophia Antipolis for the nights of June 7–9, 2026.
Key Dates:
- Papers due by March 15, 2026.
- Notification of acceptance papers by April 15, 2026.
- Deadline for participation confirmation is May 01, 2026.
- Conference days are June 8-9, 2026.
Conference Venue:
- SKEMA Business School - Sophia Antipolis campus
- The address is 60 Rue Fedor Dostoïevski, 06560, Sophia Antipolis, Valbonne, France.
Organizing committee:
- Klenio Barbosa, Program Chair, SKEMA Business School
- Dakshina De Silva, Co-Chair, Lancaster University Management School
- Rafael Matta, Co-Chair, SKEMA Business School
- Takeharu Sogo, Co-Chair, SKEMA Business School