Call for Papers – WAIFC Young Academic Award

It is our pleasure to share with you the launch of the 3rd edition of the 2024 Young Academic Award, hosted by The World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC). We invite young academics to submit papers or essays on the future of a sustainable and inclusive financial sector, addressing one of the following topics:

1. The role of international financial centers in promoting collaboration and channeling climate change finance.

2. How financial centers can support the harmonization and proliferation of sustainable reporting standards.

3. The role of IFCs in financing the circular economy.

4. The role of the financial sector in designing products/services and due diligence practices to specifically foster social enterprises.

5. How financial centers can foster gender diversity in the financial industry.

6. The impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on the financial sector.

7. The role Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC) will play in the coming years.

8. How financial centers can support talent development and re-skilling, particularly regarding sustainability and financial technology.

9. How the financial sector can remain an attractive employer for young talent.

10. How financial centers can foster international cooperation & peace in a tense geopolitical context.

The top three finalists will have the unique opportunity to present their research at WAIFC’s Annual General Meeting to be held in Tokyo, Japan the week of 14 October 2024. The winner of the best paper will be awarded a prize of €3,000. The runners-up will be awarded prizes of €2,000 (2nd place) and €1,000 (3rd place).

• The Award website is at: https://award.waifc.finance

• You can download the Invitation flyer on our website

• Full details on who can enter, how to enter, assessment criteria, etc. are detailed within our Award handbook.

• Applications to submit papers or essays may be made no later than 15 May 2024 via our Submission form (https://apply.waifc.finance).

• Final papers or essays must be submitted no later than 15 June 2024.

We invite young academics from around the world to make a submission. WAIFC is a global organization, and we aim to make this a global competition. The Award is open to all countries, including non-WAIFC member countries. As our focus is on finance, we particularly encourage submissions from students, Ph.D. students, post-docs, or junior professors in finance, economics, mathematics, computer science, or other similar fields to participate. We are, however, seeking new ideas, so a background in any field of study is welcome as long as your paper or essay relates to finance and meets our submission criteria. Submissions are welcome from those in universities, research institutes, think tanks, and other similar institutions.

Multiple authors can contribute to a paper or essay, but as we are seeking ideas from bright young minds, at least one author must be under the age of 35 as of 15 June 2024.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, or feel free to email the award organizers directly at award@waifc.finance.